


Selfish Desires & Innocent Intentions

by Nahx



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, F/M, Final Fantasy Characters - Freeform, Reader-Insert, Real World Cross-Over, Yandere Yukio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:44:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 21
Words: 40,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3344084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nahx/pseuds/Nahx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*OLD FIC* (Looking back on this, this whole thing is kinda terrible, so I probably wouldn't read this story. Just a warning to anyone reading this description.) School is a pain, isn't it? This is especially true for (Y/N) (L/N). As a high school student, she must deal with studies, grades, class A jerk-wads, hormones, depression, and daily homework assignments. All of these things are beginning to take their toll, and sometimes she found herself wishing for another life. That wish is granted however, when she one day meets a boy who somehow looked kind of familiar, and had the most gentle smile she has ever seen. Intrigued, she finds herself getting closer to him. But, in doing so... has created for herself a fate in which she can never escape from. Now, trapped in a twisted cycle of love, obsession, sweet nothings and the slaughter of innocence, how will it end for this girl, who only wanted things to be a little different?</p><p>(Blue Exorcist real world cross-over, also some cross-over from Final Fantasy characters)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I also have this story posted on my Quotev profile since I began writing it over there, it's under the same name. I thought I'd mention it so no one thought I was stealing someone's work when in reality it was mine to begin with! Anyway, plot belongs to me, I don't own Blue Exorcist or its characters, only this story.

*First Person POV*  
  
  
The straight edged hand lurched forward, going around in a slow but steady circular rotation.  The pointed tip landed on a number, the number two, and after a moment of stillness it leap to three, then four, then five…  
  
 This continued all throughout the day; I would look up from my cramped desk and stare at the arrows on the clock face, watching it slowly tick away at the remaining time. No, it wasn’t just that day; it was all days. All throughout the week I would do the same exact thing, just staring. It was like I was mesmerized.  
  
 I suppose it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that I don’t care much for the material I’m learning. Hell, even a blind man could see that, and the whole point of being blind is to be unable to see!  
  
But... it isn’t just the material. I do this in almost all my classes, and I usually wouldn’t even try to look interested in the teacher’s words or the worksheet in front of me.  
  
 Knowing I’d have to pay a little more attention to the lecture Mrs. Takeba was giving us in order to pass the year, my gaze slowly dragged back to the front of the room in order to focus on the preppy black haired woman, talking animatedly about what we needed to know for the math exam.  
  
Oh joy, because we all know how fun _that’s_ going to be.  
  
 I hate school; I always have.  
  
 I never really understood why going to school was so _very_ important. When I tell my mother I don’t see the point in going, she always replies with;  
“You need to get an education, (Y/N). Without a graduation certificate, you can forget about getting a decent job.”  
  
 Needless to say, the answer never really satisfied me. It’s not like I actually _cared_ about getting a good job. How could I possibly care about getting a good job, if I still didn’t know what I wanted to do when I graduated?  
  
 Having been so caught up in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized that a lot of time had passed just because I zoned out for a little while, so when the shrill screech of the school bell echoed throughout the school signaling for dismissal, I nearly jumped out of my seat, my poor heart pounding rapidly against my ribcage. It was times like these that I found myself berating my reactions that could potentially embarrass myself needlessly over something so small. I mean, it was only a school bell, no need to panic.  
  
I rose out of my seat, stretched my back to get the kinks out from sitting in the same position for the entire period, before slinging my black white-striped book bag over my shoulder, not caring to talk to anyone as I made my way out of the stuffy classroom. I didn't talk to them, and they didn't talk to me. It was almost like some kind of unspoken arrangement between me and everyone else in this school.  
  
 There were only a few exceptions to this, like the group of idiots who liked to poke fun at me and try to get a reaction. Other than them, I was basically ignored.  
  
Not that it mattered anyway. I'd rather not associate with them.  
  
 Hands shoved into the pockets of my grey coat, I hastily used my left hand to dig out the blue mp3 player that sat snugly inside, just waiting to be used. Plugging the earphones into the jack, I slip the ear buds into my ears before flicking the power button and scrolling the bright blue screen in search of a song that might fit my mood.  
  
 It seemed that I wasn't going to get any peace on this particular day, because not long after I had looked up from my music player screen, I ran into a guy. Literally.  
  
“Ack!”  
  
“Ngh...”  
  
I was sent sprawling to the ground while the stranger I had bumped into remained standing, probably in a daze.  
Great. Just what I needed; a random guy crashing into me right after a long and torturous lecture in my worst and least favorite subject, and now I’m probably going to develop a bruise on my chin. If there was a God up there, he sure seemed to have a sense of humor.  
   
I wanted to give a glare at the person I had run into, even if it might have been my fault, scanning his uniform up only to look at his face and falter slightly.  
 

~


	2. Chapter 2

Oh, shit.  
  
 I was staring into the green eyes of Hideki Souta, a real jackass who had made it his personal mission, along with a few other guys, to make my time here in this school less than enjoyable.  
  
 Upon seeing who it was that he had bumped into, the spiky blonde haired teen's mouth formed a smirk, eyeing me with amusement.  
  
 "Well, well. You know, you should really watch where you're going (Y/N). I was hurt unnecessarily because you decided to space out. Now, don't you think I deserve an apology?" He said this all with a tone that sounded innocent, but I knew better. It was probably better to go along with what he asked though. I wasn't quite sure yet what he was capable of, and whether or not his teasing would ever go beyond just words. I wasn't willing to test it at the moment.  
  
"Sorry..." My voice was devoid of emotion. I hoped it would be enough to get out of this entire situation...  
  
Right after I uttered the words, Hideki's smirk widened even more. "Ah, that's better. Now, do you need help getting up?" He offered his hand to me. I stared at it, contemplating whether or not I should take it. Something told me it wasn't going to end well if I took his hand, but against my better judgement, I found myself accepting.  
  
I instantly regretted my decision.  
  
As soon as my hand touched his, he grabbed a hold of it and started to lift me up, only to harshly pull me and shove me into another guy who was behind him.  
  
I could hear him laughing behind me. "Ha ha, oops! _Sorry_ (Y/N)! Well, I gotta go, see ya later!"  
  
The next guy I had smashed into was probably dazed. I rubbed my head, cursing myself for having given in to offered assistance from a known bully.  
  
I slowly looked up at the boy, fully expecting him to be annoyed from having someone throw at him. But when I actually laid eyes on him... It definitely wasn't what I had anticipated.  
  
My eyes widened as I took in his chocolate colored brown hair that fell around his face and hung to his neck, almost framing his face. I found myself then staring into the teal of his intense irises that watched me behind black framed glasses, before my gaze trailed and stopped on three little brown dots on his skin; moles. There was one just below his left eye, another one almost in the corner of his upper lip just below the first one, while the last one rested on the right side of his face beside his lower lip. He was wearing a black trench coat, but I could see a bit of a tie, and what might have been a white dress shirt. All the while, staring at this boy gave me this strange kind of nostalgia.  
  
But why?  
  
 I know I've never met him until now, so what is the reason behind this... sudden feeling?  
  
 I was probably gawking at him for a while, because eventually the boy grew a warm smile and his eyes seemed to grow more relaxed.  
  
“Hello there. That guy was quite rough a moment ago, are you alright?”  
  
His voice was soft in a way that almost made me shudder.  
  
Strange, it feels like I've also... heard his voice before, too.  
  
“Here, let me help you.”  
  
 He slowly reached out to take my hand, slender fingers nearing my pale ones and waited for me to grab on.  
  
I carefully took a hold of his hand, noticing how smooth and warm it was, before being pulled to my feet with surprising force. He must have been stronger than he looked.  
  
Suddenly realizing I had yet to answer his question, I took a light breath before replying,  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about slamming into you.”  
  
This caused his smile to drop into a frown.  
  
“Please, don't apologize. It clearly wasn't your fault,” he shook his head lightly.  
  
I nodded, "so what's your name, by the way? I've never seen you around before."  
  
“Ah, I’m Yukio Okumura; and you're... (Y/N), wasn't it?”  
  
A small smile slowly made its way onto my face. It wasn’t very often that I got to talk to nice people like this and have a normal conversation, especially in school.  
  
“I’m (Y/N) (L/N). It’s nice to meet you, Yukio-san.”  
  
“Ah, the pleasure is all mine, (Y/N)-san. I believe the reason we haven't met before now is-”  
  
Before he could finish, there was a small beeping sounding nearby. Yukio looked down then rolled up his long sleeve before frowning a little at his silver watch. He sighed lightly; he sounded disappointed. I vaguely wondered if he was late for something. Pulling down his sleeve once again, the brown haired boy looked up at me, frown switching back to a slight smile.  
  
“I’m sorry but I have to get going. I’m running a little late for something.”  
  
He adjusted his glasses; “I’ll see you later, (Y/N)-san.”  
  
Before I could really respond, he had swiftly moved around me, walking in the direction I had just came from. I turned my head to watch him, slowly getting farther and farther away until he rounded a corner and was out of sight. I blinked; he seemed a little sad that he had to leave for whatever reason. I wonder why...  
  
Shaking it off, my eyes swept the corridor to realize that mostly everyone was already gone. Funny; it seemed like seconds ago the place was filled with students hanging about the halls or rushing to get home or the mall, but right now it was practically deserted.  
  
Sighing quietly, my hand gripped the handle of my book bag tightly. Now was not the time to dwell on such things; I needed to get the hell out of there. School was the last place I wanted to be.  
  
I walked my way out of the massive school building, not bothering to look back at it in acknowledgement. My house was within walking distance from the school, meaning that I never really had to take the bus or wait outside in the cold. I didn’t really need a drive, so whenever I got sick or injured my mother expected me to walk home, only picking me up if we were going somewhere after school and assuring me that she wouldn’t let me walk if I ever broke or sprained my leg.  
  
I suppose I could also ditch school if I wanted, but my mom would probably find out about it because our school has this stupid system where whenever a student misses a class, their parent receives a phone call notifying them that they had missed time. It was obvious they did this to make sure we didn't skip.  
  
I was about a block away from my house before my thoughts wandered to the boy I had encountered. Yukio Okumura.  
  
We met because he just so happened to be the one that Hideki shoved me into. I know it was a complete coincidence, but I can’t help but feel a little glad that I bumped into him. Yukio seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and that was rare to find in a high school, or at least, most high schools.  
  
I had actually been to another high school besides the one that I attend now. I was in my current school during tenth grade when I got transferred to another high school by my father. Riakuzan High it was called, and I went there for the second semester of  tenth grade, before I told my dad I wanted to go back to my old school before next year because that was where my friends were, and he reluctantly agreed.  
  
Of course, I don't actually have any friends here. It was just an excuse to come back to a place that was more convenient, and was close enough to my house that I could walk. Though, there is another reason.  
  
 The only thing I didn’t tell him, and the major reason why I wanted to leave, was the fact that there was an extensive amount of bullying in Riakuzan compared to Seyran Academy. There was so much bullying, in fact, that my academy looked almost peaceful in comparison.  
  
I shook my head lightly. No use getting caught up in old annoyances, and I certainly was much too tired to argue with myself whether or I was a bad person for leaving. After all, I had practically abandoned the only friend I had in that wretched place.  
  
 _Poor Kyoko..._  
  
The tall, light blue painted building came into view, and my shoulders relaxed at the sight of it. Broad glass window stuck in the center of the house beside the tall narrow oak door, sloping shingled roof and a modest chimney; this, was my home.  
  
Sneakers thudded up the wood steps as I stopped, swinging my hundred-fifty pound book bag off of my shoulder and digging in the left side pocket, searching around for the iron chain that my set of house keys were attached to.  
  
“Come on… where is it…? Ugh, this thing is way too damn heavy to lug around all day…”  
  
 I muttered to myself as I continued to search for the keys. Was everything against me today? It sure felt like it at this point.  
  
“Aha!”  
  
I grinned, yanking the keys out of one of my main pockets, before shoving the jagged piece into the lock, turning it and grasping and turning the knob, pushing in until I made my way inside and shutting the door softly.  
  
Sighing in fatigue, I jogged up the stairs while dragging my book bag and being in the process of removing my gray coat and blue sweater.  
  
My eyes were trained on my bed as I tossed both articles of clothing aside, stalking towards my target and launching myself at it. My mind thought of nothing as my body shut down, unable to moving due to the work and stress of everyday high school drama, studying and getting up early.

 Heavy eyelids fluttered shut, while my ragged breathing had devolved into small breaths, and eventually, the darkness consumed my mind completely, just after briefly picturing Yukios' warm smile and outstretched hand.

 

 ~


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

The once tight grip on the writing utensil was now crushing, as (E/C) eyes widened in a very confused manner.  
  
 What...  
  
 What was he doing here?  
  
 Up at the front of the class, standing up right beside the teacher, was a boy. His dark brown hair swayed lightly, strands falling against his face where he didn’t bother to brush them away, only instead pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.  
  
 Yukio Okumura.  
  
 The same boy I had met the day before; the same boy that seemed to exude a genuine attitude. Well, I suppose this explained why I didn’t see him around school; he must have had just transferred from another school.  
  
 “OK class, we have a new student joining us today,” the teacher began, “why don’t you introduce yourself?”  
  
 Yukio nodded, turning his head to face the rest of the class. Hush whispers echoed throughout the room, girls giggling and boys eying Yukio warily. Yukio only smiled as he stepped forward slightly, getting ready to address us directly.  
  
 “Hello, my name is Yukio Okumura, and I will be a part of this class from now on.”  
  
 After he had spoken, his oceanic eyes landed on mine. It could have been just my imagination, but it looked as if his eyes had lit up upon seeing me. I held his gaze as he finished his introduction.  
  
 “…I look forward to working with you, and I hope we can all get along.”  
  
 Only two sentences had left the boy’s mouth before almost every girl in the class started squealing and cooing over how “cute” Yukio was.  
  
 “Oh my God…! Do you see how hot he is?!”  
  
 “I know! I just hope I can talk to him before everyone else!”  
  
 "Ahh! Did you see that?! He looked at me!"  
  
“The hell? What’s the big deal with this guy? I don’t see what all the girls are screaming about.”  
  
 “Maybe they’re into nerdy guys? He _does_ have glasses.”  
  
 Some of the guys looked a little irritated at the attention the “new kid” was receiving, while others seemed to shrug it off, perhaps thinking that his popularity wouldn’t last long.  
  
 I sat back in my plastic blue chair, stunned into silence. I had thought that maybe it was just a coincidence that I hadn’t seen Yukio until just yesterday, but that wasn’t it. He must have been transferred, and was probably inside the school yesterday to check out the layout and get used to his new surroundings. Now he’s in my class…  
  
 Heat rushed to my cheeks very rapidly. I placed my palms flat against both sides of my face. Why was I blushing? It wasn’t like I had thought about anything inappropriate! Usually, my mind was somewhat innocent besides the occasional sexual innuendo that I thought of every now and then, but other than that, I was a clean record. If only I could get my red cheeks under control...  
  
 “Hmmm, now we need to find you a seat. Let’s see…”  
  
 The teacher scanned the room, searching for an empty desk that didn’t seat a student that was currently absent. I found myself unconsciously looking around the room as well, curious as to who would get to sit next to one of the nicest high school students I’ve met.  
  
 It wasn’t long until the teacher and I noticed the only available seat in the entire room was next to….. me. How very convenient.  
  
 Yukio had soon also noticed this, and I suddenly had the urge to put my head in my hands. I know that Yukio and I talked a little bit, but we never really got to know each other. We’re practically strangers. But… then again, I suppose it gives some reassurance to stick with someone you’ve talk to before rather than someone you’ve never seen before in your entire life.  
  
 It’s like when I got transferred. I hated moving because sometimes it involved going to a new school and trying to make new friends, and I had a hard enough time making friends as it was.  
  
 I guess I could empathize with Yukio. It did suck going to a new school.  
  
 “Ah! There’s a seat right beside (Y/N). (Y/N)! Stand up so he knows where you are.”  
  
 I hated it when teachers did this. Flustered, I slowly rose out of my chair; even though I knew Yukio already knew where to go. Before Yukio could even make an attempt to move, however, the class had suddenly grown noisier than before, and I could feel the glares of various girls around the room, much to the irritation of our first period teacher.  
  
 "Settle down, class! I realize that having a new student may be exciting, but that doesn't give you a license to misbehave!"  
   
 After our slightly aggravated teacher had raised his voice, the room went silent. Not a word was spoken, and if someone decided to drop a pin, it would cut through the silence like a sharpened blade.  
  
 The teacher, Mr. Kurosaki, sighed.  
  
 "Now that I have your attention; I apologize, Yukio. Why don't you take a seat and we’ll begin?"  
  
 Mr. Kurosaki began gesturing in my general direction with his hand. Yukio's eyes traveled to the spot the teacher mentioned, still knowing it was the only one available, before flickering over to meet my gaze once again. He sent me a smile, one that could only be described as gentle, before quietly telling the gray haired man, "Thank you, Mr. Kurosaki" and making his way over to me.  
  
 I watched anxiously as he came closer and closer to where I was sitting. I could feel the growing discomfort as each step the boy took in my direction seemed to be in slow motion. Why was I so nervous all of a sudden? Sure, he was new, but I had just spoken to him yesterday, and he seemed really nice. I mentally scolded myself to get my act together, and in doing so I noticed that Yukio had already taken his seat right beside me.  
  
 Cue mini heart attack.  
   
 Though I physically died on the inside, I managed to maintain a calm and neutral expression on the outside, watching as Yukio turned his head to look at me and flashed a close eyed grin, to which I responded with a small grin of my own.  
   
 Yukio had turned back to pay attention to our teacher, but all I could do was sit there, pondering this sudden change in events. I was still a little nervous, but I knew if I was patient, the feeling might disappear. I took one last glance at mysterious boy with glasses, before looking at the rambling teacher once again, a small smile lingering on my lips.  
  
 This might liven things up around here, and if not, it would at least make things a little less boring. I really want to find out why this boy, Yukio Okumura, seems so familiar... Who knows? If this goes well, I might even make a friend...

  
~


	4. Chapter 4

 

 A deep sigh left my lips as I trudged my way home. Another day in this boring school life; I would have thought I’d be used to it by now.  
  
 Clear droplets pounded the sidewalk and the outside of my hood, effectively throwing me into a less than cheery mood. It was almost funny that it started raining just when I had started to feel a little better about my day. It’s like whatever “benevolent” being who controlled the weather, if there was one, was trying to make my life into a personal hell of sorts.  
  
 A sudden image popped up in my mind of the brown haired boy with teal eyes and black rimmed glasses. I almost stopped walking in my confusion. Why was he showing up in my mind?  
  
 I thought about it for a moment. Well, I suppose it wasn’t as boring as it could have been with Yukio sitting beside me the entire time. Despite the teachers attempts to make their lectures as boring and hard to comprehend as possible, Yukios' presence and side comments about the way the teacher taught was something that had really helped me through the day.  
  
I chuckled a bit. Maybe things really won’t be so bad with him around. Just as I had thought that, a sudden voice made me stop dead in my tracks.  
  
“(Y/N)-san!”  
  
 I heard a voice calling me. Speak of the devil.  
  
 Slowly turning to the voices direction, I met determined eyes and the boy I was just thinking about running to catch up to me.  
  
 It didn’t take long for Yukio to be crouching in front of me, hands on his knees and panting from exhaustion. It was hard to suppress my giggles because of how much of a struggle it was to catch his breath; he looked as if he’d just ran a marathon.  
  
Yukio held his hand in a fist before coughing into it, standing up straight and stretching his limbs, readjusting his glasses since they had moved out of place during the fray.  
  
“Yukio-san, do you run around like this often?” I asked, doing everything I could to not let a smile creep onto my face.  
  
 He sighed before running a hand through his dampened locks.  
  
“I usually only run when I feel it necessary, so other than that, not really.”  
  
“You looked like you just ran a hundred miles and back.”  
  
“I know…”  
  
 I couldn’t help it. I let out one giggle, before a lot more filled the space, and soon, I was almost crying with laughter.  
  
“You’re face!  Oh my God, that was amazing. You looked like you were about to have a heart attack or just keel over and die. Ha ha…”  
  
 I wiped the tears leaking out of my eyes before trying to cease my laughter. I was starting to feel a little bad…  
  
 Yukio sighed again before forming a miniscule smile. He didn’t seem to like the teasing very much, or he might have been disappointed he had no ammunition against me. Either way, he forced himself to stay friendly.  
  
 “Yes, well… I’ll try to exercise more often. Anyway, I meant to ask you where your house is. I also go this way to get home. Also, I was wondering if you’d want to walk together.”  
  
 I looked at him in question. He really wanted to walk home with me? As far as I was aware, we were not really friends. I know that when he first sat beside me, I was having these thoughts that maybe we could be friends,  but to be honest, I didn’t really think he’d try to associate with me outside of school. Yet, here he was, asking me to walk with him. Maybe he was trying to be nice?  
  
 “Why would you want to walk with me?” I didn’t really mean to ask, but it seemed to slip out before I could really do anything. I felt like slapping myself. Here he was trying to be nice, and then I just go and rudely ask him something like that. What would he think of me now?  
  
 I bit my lip, and slowly looked at his face. He seemed to be surprised; a look of shock and bewilderment had settled upon his features, and it led me to more confusion.  
  
“...Why wouldn’t I? I know we haven’t really talked much, but I would like to get to know you better if I can, (Y/N)-san. I want to be your friend.”  
  
 His voice held so much sincerity that it almost made me want to cry. He wanted to be friends with me. Why? There was nothing special about me, nothing that you’d really want in a friend. I was socially awkward, and I had no idea how to keep a conversation going. I was inferior to a lot of people; so why?  
  
 Nonetheless, all of this information did nothing to stop the growing emotion inside me.  
  
 It's hard to describe the happiness and giddy excitement that seemed to rush through me that moment. I found myself grinning, way too widely, as an idea popped up in my head.  
  
"Alright, let's get one thing straight. If you want us to be friends, I don't have a problem with that. However, what I do have a problem with, is you using all these formalities. No more "(Y/N)- _san_ " got it? From now on, it's (Y/N)-chan or just (Y/N). I won't call you Yukio-san either."  
  
 He laughed slightly, but nodded regardless, "OK, just call me Yukio then, or better yet, you can call me Yuki, if you'd like." But after the words left his mouth, his face dropped. His head lowered to the ground, a small, but what could be perceived as sad, smile appearing on his face.  
  
 "I knew someone who used to call me by that name all the time..."  
  
 The expression he held seemed to be very grim, and something told me that whoever that person was, they were no longer with us.  
  
 Yukio lifted his head again, all traces of sadness melted away.  
  
 "But none of that matters now."  
  
 " Um...yeah..."  
  
 I shook my head, trying to focus on what we were doing. He just seemed so pained for a moment that I almost lost my train of thought. I cleared my throat.  
  
"Then, let's make it official; we shake on it."  
  
 Yukio looked confused for a second, as if this was the first time he had done something like this, and I think that, honestly, it probably was. However, it didn't take him long to recover from his dumbstruck expression, because moments later, one of his gentle smiles graced his lips. Softly gripping my hand in return, he shook it just as firmly as I had.  
  
"Deal."  
  
A wild breeze whizzed past us and shook the trees all around us; cherry blossoms played in the wind while our hair was tossed about. Though the weather had changed slightly from raining, to raining and wind, Yuki and I still gripped each others palm, as if all life would end if we separated, and we continued to grin at each other.  
  
Taking him by surprise, I started running to my house with Yukio in tow. He looked as though he wanted to protest, but stopped himself and just went along with it, something that apparently doesn't happen often. The grin on my face just grew wider. I had a sneaking suspicion that this was the start of a powerful and unbreakable bond.  
  
 What I didn't realize, was that I was going to be right. It certainly did turn out to be an unbreakable bond. But, I know that if I could somehow turn back time...  
  
 I would stop myself from ever making that pact.

~


	5. Chapter 5

It seemed like everything had got better as time went on. Yukio and I became inseparable; we hung out during our breaks, partnered up for every project, we would walk home together, and we would go to each others house whenever we weren't busy. I took my time and tried to understand all there was to know about Yukio, and I think I've learned almost everything there is to know about him.  
  
 He's always very polite to those around him, and especially formal, well- to everyone besides me. Yukio always seemed to relax when we're alone together, and he seems to pour out the emotions that had been bothering him. I patiently listen to him; I care about everything he has to say, no matter how "unimportant" it may seem.  
  
 He was funny. Most people wouldn't believe it, having known his selfless, intelligent, kind outer shell and formal behavior, but he actually knows quite a few jokes, and always knows whenever he hears one.  
  
 He was protective. It wasn't a daily occurrence, thankfully, but sometimes Hideki or one of his lackeys would make a comment at me, and every time without fail, Yukio would step in, telling the student off. Whenever one of them was dumb enough to ask, "wanna fight about it?" Yukio would only adjust his glasses and say, "I hate violence." I felt so happy that someone actually wanted to stick up for me, for once in my life.  
  
 He was caring. I have suffered from major depression for over two years now. I'm not sure how it started, or if I will ever be free of it, but there are times when I just can't take it.  
  
 There were moments when I found myself feeling so down, and I wouldn't even know why. I would surrender to my emotions, and my bitter tears. Tears shed from being beaten down by life, and being beaten down by school. Ever since I met Yukio, he's always there for me during those moments.  
  
 I still remember the very first time that I broke down in front of him. A blue sky slowly changed into different hues of pink, purple and  
orange. I invited Yukio over to my house so we could chat and watch a movie together. He agreed easily, and soon enough, we were focusing on the big screen my father had installed in the basement.  
  
 The movie selected was a romantic comedy; a girl from a small town moving to New York to make her dreams come true of owning a successful business. Her plan doesn't exactly go the way she wanted, and she ends up working for this snide, sarcastic, sadistic and devilishly handsome man, and they slowly start to fall in love throughout all the mishaps that take place.  
  
 I wasn't sure if it was the film itself or not, but I found myself bursting into tears.  
  
 I always was a silent crier.  
  
 I never wanted anyone to know the pain that I went through. I remained silent the entire time, thinking that Yukio wouldn't notice, or mostly hoping he wouldn't, but that was stupid of me. Of course he would notice. He'd notice the second he turned to look at me.  
  
 And he did.  
  
 The brunette boy turned his head to me, probably to ask me something before his jaw hung slightly open, his eyes opened wide to the size of dinner plates. But the expression was brief.  
  
 It took but a moment for his hand to grasp the remote and pause the movie, before wrapping his arms carefully around my shaking body and bringing me close to his chest.  
  
 I was shocked; I had expected Yukio to excuse himself after seeing me in such a state, or to laugh at me and start teasing me. But I realized that wasn't the kind of person Yukio was.  
  
 "It's okay. You don't need to be quiet about it. Let it out."  
  
 That was all the provoking I needed before letting loose a series of sobs. Emotion wracked my body, and Yukio only held me tighter. The entire time I cried, I kept wondering to myself why Yukio was helping me. If it had been anyone else, they would have left me alone, to grieve in silence. Now I was being cradled in the arms of a boy I had only recently became friends with, and he had consoled me more in this moment than anyone ever had in my entire life. It made me feel as though I was really cared about.  
   
 Yukio quietly held me as I continued to cry against him, stroking my hair with the gentle affection only he could provide. He held me until I calmed, and then asked if I wanted him to stay the night, to which I agreed to almost immediately. I didn't want to be alone at that moment.  
  
 Ever since then, things were different. The moment I would break down, in public or not, Yukio would wrap his arms around me tightly and not let go for the rest of the day.  
  
 It was strange. Never before did I have anyone who would try to comfort me in the way that Yukio did; no one would hold me as I let out the pain that I held inside. It seemed like no matter what I did, Yukio was always there for me. He was a great friend, probably the best I've ever had, but one thing still bothered me...  
  
 I knew that I did not deserve him.  
  
 I had come to appreciate Yukio a great deal. He was so very kind to me, all the time, and I continued to rely on him. All the time. I never seem to do anything but take from him. Take advantage of his kindness and affection, when I never give anything in return. I hate it; I feel so useless.  
  
 "Hey, (Y/N)!"  
  
 A voice suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts. Turning my head, I spot a familiar head of brown hair and black rimmed glasses.  
  
 I smiled slightly. It almost seemed whenever I thought about Yuki, he would suddenly appear from somewhere. I thought about him a lot, so it seemed to happen quite often.  
  
 He strode towards me, his signature bright smile showing that he only used on me; sometimes I wondered if that was just my imagination.  
  
 "I was looking for you. After English, you seemed to run out at the speed of light and I was hard-pressed to catch up with you. What happened? Are you alright?"  
  
 Yuki's voice was filled with concern, and I almost visibly winced. He seemed to be asking that a lot lately...  
  
 But he was right. There was something wrong, but I couldn't tell him. At least, not yet, since he was involved. By dashing out of the classroom, I had hoped to avoid him, but that was a foolish thing to do. He and I had every class together, and we'd always walk to each class side by side and walk home after school the same way; of course he'd know that something was wrong if I wasn't with him. He always worried about me, even though I've told him not to, because I knew that no matter how bad things became, I would be able to handle any obstacle on my own; but Yukio seemed to think otherwise.  
  
 I only nodded.  
  
 "No, everything's fine. Sorry I ran out like that, I just realized that I forgot an assignment in my locker and I wanted to get it before I forgot or got sidetracked", I told him sheepishly. If I could distract him with an excuse, then maybe I could get out of this without telling him. It would only make us both upset.  
  
 Teal orbs searched mine carefully, debating whether or not I was telling the truth. I had forgotten just how good a lie detector Yukio really was. In an attempt to make myself seem inconspicuous, I stared right back into his eyes with just as much intensity as he was staring at me with.  
  
 After a moment of silence, leaves shaking in the wind from the strong breeze, Yukio heaved a heavy sigh. He probably knew I wasn't telling the truth. His slender fingers gripped the ends of his hair and began tugging slightly, a habit I noticed he did whenever he was upset about something, or stressed.  
  
 "...Alright. But you know, if there is ever anything wrong, please tell me, okay, (Y/N)?"  
  
 Yukio had changed his voice into a slightly pleading tone. I refrained myself from showing any signs of frustration. He really was too concerned about me for his own good.  
  
 "Yuki... c'mon, like I said, you don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. Plus, shouldn't you be worrying about your physical condition?"  
  
 A smirk made its way onto my lips. A couple months ago, Yukio and I agreed to try and do something to better the boys' fitness. I came up with a regular training schedule; Yukio would go on a two mile jog every day before dinner, working up his appetite, and would then proceed to perform a series of crunches and sit-ups, followed by push-ups and then weight lifting. It was going relatively well so far, and I think that his condition has improved drastically since I met him, and it makes me happy. I feel as if this is the only thing I have ever done to try and pay back his kindness, but even this doesn't feel like enough. I wanted to pay him back for every bit of gentleness he has bestowed upon me.  
  
 "..."  
  
 We were both silent as we walked home together. The atmosphere around us wasn't very cheerful at the moment. In fact, I think this is the most tense it has ever been. The awkward aura in the air made it impossible to make conversation.  
  
 The walk continued until eventually, we stopped in front of Yuki's house. I glanced at the old building. Many rooms were inside the big house, but the outside, probably as well as the inside, were falling apart and was in desperate need of being repaired.  
  
 "You want to come in?"  
  
 I looked at him in the corner of my eye. The air felt kind of heavy right now, but maybe he wanted to clear things up?  
  
 I found myself nodding in approval, and he looked happy in return.  
  
Though I had my own reasons for agreeing to come inside.  
  
 The house was so large up close when looking at it that I could scarcely believe that Yukio lived inside of it all by himself.  
  
 Didn't it get lonely?  
  
 I found myself close to asking him this, as well as why he would even want to stay in a place like this, several times, but I never did. I didn't want to get into his personal business, even though it seemed like he already knew a lot about mine. How could he not? I collapsed on him so many times, it was a wonder how he didn't know my whole life story. A strong emotion began seeping back into the pit of my stomach.  
  
 Guilt.  
  
 That same overwhelming guilt that caused me to try to distance myself from Yukio and his kindness. I slowly shifted my gaze to Yuki's face and frowned. I didn't deserve him. Not at all.  
  
 He caught my eyes staring at him, and he turned his head and smiled softly, though it immediately fell when he noticed the frown I wore.  
  
 "(Y/N)? What's wrong?" His voice began to take on the worried tone he often used when speaking to me, whenever my unhappiness was apparent.  
  
  I forced back an oncoming sigh. I wished he would stop being so concerned for me, as it only made me feel worse. Not only that, it made me feel dependent; I knew I did not want to rely on him for everything, even though I was painfully aware that that is exactly what I had come to do since the time I have known him.  
  
 I had to tell him. I had to tell him that I did not want to rely on him so much; tell him that I wanted to look out for him too. Tell him that... I wanted to stand on my own two feet again. If I did not tell him today, in the privacy of his own home, than it would be soon.  
  
 I just needed to work up the courage to do it.  
  
 "Nothing. I was just thinking about something."  
  
 He looked at me intently. I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he wasn't at all convinced, but he did not press the matter. He simply nodded, taking a hold of my hand and leading me to the door of his large house, unlocking his door with a key that was held on a chain with numerous other keys, before ushering me inside.

 

~


	6. Chapter 6

 

 

  I took a step inside and breathed in the old, musty smell of the building. It was obvious it was built a long time ago and was still standing after many years. I had been inside the house numerous times, but I could never quite get used to how the inside looked like a school dorm.  
  
 Blue-gray walls with cobwebs hanging in several corners, once smooth dark brown hardwood flooring was now littered with dents and cracks. Still, the building did manage to retain some of its elegance; a gleaming, golden chandelier hung delicately above all, oddly fitting the hallway.  
  
 Yukio walked ahead and led me to his bedroom at the end of the hall, even though I already knew where it was, and he knew it.  
  
 My hand twitched at my side, nervousness making its way into my system.  
  
 'Why am I getting all worked up?'  
  
 The answer was obvious. I was staring at it in the back of the head, its chocolaty locks swaying with each step and deep blue irises that threatened to drown you.  
  
 I blushed slightly. Now was really not the time or place to dwell on his attractive appearance.  
  
 Yes; I admit, Yukio was quite an alluring young male. It also didn't help with his soft and gentle personality and strong will to protect me. I hated myself for thinking such things about my friend. He was just that; my friend. Nothing more, nothing less. I wanted it to stay that way.  
  
At least, that's what I thought at the time.  
  
 Inserting a fancy silver key into the lock, his hand slowly turned the key sideways and pulled out, pushing the heavy wooden open, the hinges creaking slightly with the motion and gesturing me inside with his usual benevolent look.  
  
 Moving past him my eyes make contact with the many Drrr!, Shingeki no Kyogin, Gurren Lagann, Cowboy Bebop, Fairy Tail, Code Geass, Death Note, Darker Than Black, Psycho Pass, Baccano, Soul Eater, Deadman Wonderland, Trigun, Inuyasha, Corpse Party and Full Metal Alchemist anime and manga posters tacked up against the walls; not even an inch of the wall was visible. Various physical copies of a variety of different manga were stacked against the wall in a neat pile, filling an entire side of the room. Though sometimes I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting about a certain manga and anime. I don't know why, but without it, the collection almost felt incomplete, even though I couldn't remember the name of the series.  
  
What was it again?  
  
I just couldn't remember.

My face instantly instantly lit up at the sight.

Anime.  
  
Manga.  
  
 This was one of the reasons why our friendship worked so well.

Yukio and I both had an unhealthy obsession with anime and manga, so much so that some might refer to us as “otakus”.  
  
 The real meaning behind otaku is not very pleasant in the least, though anime and manga fans in North America have given new meaning to the word, so it is an acceptable name for some people.  
  
 But I take offense to the name for it's original meaning was born here in Japan, the place where I was also born. Yukio doesn't enjoy being called an otaku either, and so we both agreed that we wouldn't refer to ourselves with it.  
  
 Before I could even stop myself, my legs started running towards his large double bed and pouncing onto the thick Naruto pattern blanket, cuddling and sighing in contentment. I only wished I had as much merchandise as Yukio did; I felt so at home in his room, and I was slightly jealous of him for having so much more than I did.  
  
 Yuki just laughed at my antics and closed the door. I was so distracted by my surroundings I didn’t notice the little click sound over where Yuki was standing.  
  
“Well, you know the drill. Games or Anime?” He asked with a grin.  
  
 I stroke my imaginary beard, pretending to think for a moment before snapping my gaze to his, smiling coyly.  
  
 “Hmm… y’know, let’s change it up a bit.”  
  
 As I said this, the grin on Yukio’s face grew wider in recognition.  
  
"So you’re saying…?”  
  
My smile turned into a smirk, my eyes glinting with mischief.  
  
 “Let’s play a game. The game will be, Super Smash Bros Brawl. Loser has to do whatever the winner wants, no matter what it is. Actually…”

I trail off, suddenly embarrassed. I wanted to make it clear that there was one thing that I did not want part of it, but saying it out loud was hard to do.  
  
 “Yes?” He said with a teasing tone.  
  
 I huffed. He was making things harder by acting like that. Gulping away my fear, I looked straight at him.  
   
“The only thing I won’t allow is… sexual punishment.”  
   
 I admitted this quietly, but Yukio still heard it loud and clear. His mouth was wide open in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what I just said. I was having a hard time believing it myself.  
  
 I coughed lightly into my hand, trying to ease the sudden awkwardness that had made its way around the room. Yukio’s expression slowly goes back to normal and his cheeks became a bright shade of red.  
  
 I wanted to smack myself for even thinking such a thing. Of course he wouldn’t want to do anything like that with me; he was my best friend! I have been reading way too much fan-fiction where the girl and the guy are best friends and make a bet and the person who wins does something sexual with the person who loses, usually ending in some smut or a lemon.  
  
  _Yeah. Too much fanfics._ I thought lowly.  
  
 “W-Well, I don’t think I would have come up with anything like that for you to do, so…” Yukio seemed to fumble over his words when trying to speak. I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.  
  
 The game was already set up, so all he really had to do was set up the controllers. A white long rectangle was thrust into my face, a now cheery Yukio holding it in place inches from my nose.  
  
“Well, wanna start playing?”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

“AH! No! That’s not fair!”  
  
  I cried while desperately trying to maneuver myself from my enemy, one that was ruthlessly pursuing me and had the upper hand of not being injured. I ran to a corner, and sighed.  
  
 This was it. The last moments of my life. I slowly turned to face the furry humanoid creature as it approached me, it’s tail swishing back in forth, almost in delight. I cringed and braced myself, knowing that we had finally reached our conclusion.  
  
 Without warning, the clothes wearing fox began sprinting towards me and delivered a swift kick to the jaw, sending me flying back and killing me instantly.  
  
"Rgh!... This is bull!"  
  
 "Ah well, I'm sure you'll beat me next time, (Y/N)-chan."  
  
 I only grumbled in annoyance. This wasn't fair! It didn't matter what I did, I would _always_ lose against Yukio.  
  
Fox wasn’t even his best character! We made a deal that Yukio was not allowed to use his best character anymore, because whenever he did, he was… incredible. It was almost kind of terrifying how skilled he was.  
  
 No one could stop Yuki whenever he used Luigi. To some people, this may be surprising. When has Luigi ever been good? He was always ranked low, even when it came to the actual Mario games, he was second best. Luigi was Mario’s brother; making him the brother of the protagonist.  
  
 Somehow, despite Luigi being a somewhat questionable choice, Yukio was able to utilize him in a way that was absolutely unreal. He knew exactly what moves to make in every situation, how to save himself from falling off the map, and how to send the opposing character flying in the other direction with incredible force. He was amazing. Too amazing in fact.  
  
 I moaned in frustration, collapsing back on the large bed with my head in my hands. How was it that he was so good even with a character that wasn’t his best? I could usually beat quite a lot of people with Pikachu, but Yuki was never one of them.  
  
 The triumphant smirk that was stretched across his face when I peeked out at him between my fingers made me realize that whatever he had planned for me to do probably wasn’t good.  
  
 Sighing in defeat, my body rose into a sitting position, eying the brown haired boy with apprehension, and maybe even fear.  
  
 He stared back at me, hands resting on his black dress pants and wearing an expression that was teasing.  
  
“So,” he said with a satisfied smirk, “are you ready for what you’re going to have to do?”  
  
 My eyes flickered down, not meeting his gaze. Even though he made it sound like this was all fun and games, I knew it wasn’t. I knew Yukio far too well to know the real reason he asked me inside, and I had to mentally prepare myself for it; to try and find the right words.  
  
“Yes…”  
  
 My voice was quiet, but loud enough for my friend to hear. His lips pulled down into a straight line, nodding solemnly as his gaze began to burn holes into my head.  
  
“Then I assume you know what I’m about to ask…”  
  
 I didn’t hesitate to nod in confirmation. No point hiding it now; he was going to find out regardless.  
  
 He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and sighed, looking away.  
  
 “Why were you avoiding me today…?”  
  
 I took a deep breath; this was it. It was now or never. I knew I had to tell him, or I would never forgive myself. My eyes shifted to look at Yukio as he looked at the pile of manga on the other side of the room, though probably staring right past it.  
  
 “I knew I was going to have to tell you eventually… I just needed time...” I murmured. Gaining more courage, I continued.  
  
“Now that we’re here, alone together, I can tell you what’s been bothering me.”  
  
Oceanic optics met with my (E/C) eyes, curious as to what I had to say.  
  
“...Yuki, I don’t want to rely on you anymore”, I stated flatly.  
  
 His eyes widened and he looked as though he was about to protest until I rose a finger to my lips. I already knew he wouldn’t react well to this.  
  
“No, don’t. I need to say this.”  
  
 Yuki looked distressed, but reluctantly agreed to let me finish. I looked at him gratefully before starting again.  
  
 “I’ve been relying on you ever since I met you. You held me in my time of need, coddled me and tried your hardest to comfort me. You have no idea how much I appreciated that, and how much I still appreciate everything you do for me. No one ever wanted to comfort me before. They all just left me alone; saying that I would get over it, but it felt like each time I was ignored; my heart would gain new wounds.  
  
“You hadn’t known me for very long, only about two weeks, and you helped me. You helped me without a second thought, and you’ve done it time and time again, and I never once helped you. I never once did anything for you, to pay you back for your kindness, and I hate myself for it every day. I want you to be able to rely on me, too…”  
  
 I said the last part in a whisper, afraid that if I spoke any louder, I would start crying. I finally told him what was on my mind, but now that I said it out loud, I was truly disgusted with myself. What kind of friend was I? Certainly not a very good one, as far as I was concerned.  
  
 I couldn’t even bring myself to look Yukio in the eye. I continued to stare at the ground, unmoving and not a emitting a sound.  
Meanwhile, Yukio was becoming frustrated. He cleared his throat inaudibly and focused on me, trying to find the right words to tell me that I was wrong.  
  
 He shifted closer to me, sliding to the other side of the bed where I sat, still trying to find a way that I could redeem myself in my eyes. A soft hand resting on the slope of my back startled me into meeting his eyes, which positively whirled with emotions; sadness, frustration, forgiveness and…  
  
 No, it... it must be my imagination.  
  
 He was staring at me with love?!  
  
 I wasn’t quite sure, but I thought I might have seen a glimpse of love in his beautiful orbs. Though it couldn't have been anything but my own head playing tricks…  
  
 Yukio looked at me the way he always did, and yet, it was different at the same time from all the emotions those eyes held. I continued to stare back at him, wondering if he was going to say anything. Just what was he thinking right now?  
  
“(Y/N)…” He breathed.  
  
 The way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t tell if he was about to lecture me, or try and comfort me, like always. But I knew I didn’t want that; it would just be even more frustrating.  
  
 The hand on my back started to trace small circles, and it made me think I was just going to be coddled. I was correct.  
  
“I told you before, it doesn’t matter-”  
  
I grabbed his shoulders roughly before he could continue.  
  
“Of course it matters! Do you know how terrible I feel for not doing anything for you?! You’re always there for me, and I’m never there for you! It’s eating me up inside from the constant guilt that I feel whenever I’m around you! Yuki, I’m tired of being so dependent on you, I’m tired of being like this…”  
  
 Tears were leaking from my eyes and creating clear streaks down my face, dripping off my chin and onto the blanket. My grip on his shoulders loosened, and I collapsed on the bed, unable to contain my emotions, once again. My body curled up into a fetal position as if on its own accord, and I sobbed quietly.  
  
 Yukio took immediate action, as if it was instinct, circling his arms around me and bringing me close, despite my efforts to push him away. I soon gave up on getting him away from me, and submitted to his warm and comforting embrace, just like I always did.  
  
“…Dammit… Why am I so weak…?”  
  
 He said nothing, but began stroking my hair in a soothing manner. His fingers combed through my (H/C) strands like a brush, pulling through it easily and eliminating any knots in their wake.  
  
 All the time, Yukio looked as though he wanted to say something, and I was curious as to what it was, and whether or not he was going to say it, but I didn’t want to ask him at that moment. I was too busy drowning in my own inferiority to really worry about anything else.  
  
 “(Y/N), you didn’t let me finish. I meant to say that it really doesn’t matter to me whether or not you do anything to pay me back, and I would actually prefer it if you didn’t. Being with you is enough.” He said softly.  
  
 “I won’t deny anything that you want to do for me, but it isn’t necessary. I’m happy that I can do at least a little to make you feel better, even though I wish I could help you more…”He winced. He seemed to regret not being able to help as much as he wanted…  
  
“But still. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being a burden to me when you’re not. Quite the opposite, in fact. Do you really think I would spend so much time with you if you were a nuisance?”  
  
_No._  
  
No, I didn’t.

I knew he didn’t think of me as a liability. I knew it in my heart. But that doesn’t change the fact that I haven’t been a very good friend.

I looked at him with puffy eyes; tears budding and spilling onto my cheeks anew. I couldn’t forgive myself for being such a terrible friend. I couldn’t.  
  
 “Y-Yuki… You not wanting anything from me does not change the fact that I’ve been a terrible friend for not trying to help you anyway. I didn’t ask you for help, and you helped me, time and time again.”  
  
My voice became a ghostly whisper.  
  
“I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve to call myself your friend. I should just lea-”  
   
It happened so fast, I couldn’t even comprehend what had happened at that moment until afterwards.  
  
In one visceral instant, Yukio had gripped my shoulders firmly, pulling me to him, and then slammed his lips on mine.  
 

 

~


	7. Chapter 7

 

The warmth that exploded in my lower abdomen was inconceivable, so much so that I held my eyes open in shock, staring at the male in front of me as he closed his eyes tightly and pressed his lips harder against my quivering mouth.  
  
 The seemingly harshness of the kiss grew softer, as he began massaging my lips with his own and letting go of my shoulders to hold the back of my head in place and tilt my chin up in order to deepen the lip-lock.  
  
 Yukio sighed against my lips, pulling away and separating himself from my rigid form, eyes as wide as saucers and staring at him in unrelenting shock.  
  
 He looked down, pulling the ends of his hair in uneasiness. With another sigh, he spoke.  
  
“I’m not good at expressing my feelings…” He paused, waiting to see if I was going to say anything. Realizing that I was too surprised to respond with anything, he went on.  
  
 “…But I hope that’s enough to prove to you that no matter what, you would never be a burden to me.”  
  
 He drew close once more, placing his long fingers on the side of my face, cupping my cheek softly and looking down at me with gentle affection in his eyes.  
  
“I love you, (Y/N).”  
  
 The whole world seemed to stop at that moment.  
  
 He loved me. That was it. He loved me, and he told me did after he kissed me.  
  
 It explained why he hung out with me; why he didn’t abandon me like he could’ve. He stayed with me and protected me, treated me like no other, and he did it all for the sake of love.  
  
 My face seemed to reflect my understanding, because Yukio had suddenly grown anxious, looking at me with bright blue eyes filled with anticipation.  
  
“So… do you love me?” He whispered.  
  
 The hopeful look he was staring at me with was almost endearing, and I couldn’t help the heat that spread across my face. I looked away.  
  
 Did I love him?  
  
 I thought about it for a moment. He was always there for me; from the very beginning of our friendship. He protected me, and held me when I had no one to comfort me. He was handsome. A ray of sunshine amidst the storm. A diamond in the rough. A poppy in a field full of rye. He was all of these things, and when my mind thought about all of this, the answer became clear.  
  
Yes... I think I did.  
  
I think I...  
  
...Loved him too.  
  
No, it was more than that. I didn't just think I loved him, I _knew_ I did.  
  
 From the bottom of my heart.  
  
 How did I never realize this before?  
  
 Though I think I already knew the answer to that. I thought that loving him would be selfish, since I've already taken so much from him. Even though he said that he didn't care about that, and that he wanted to give me comfort and companionship, I still had that bit of negativity weighing me down. And also, I knew that besides being selfish, I was afraid that if I came to terms with my love for him, I would eventually tell him how I felt and risk losing our friendship.  
  
 But I suppose that’s irrelevant now. He feels the same way as me...  
  
 Now I _needed_ to tell him.  
  
 My gaze locked with his; a trace of fear and doubt lingering within his gaze, and mine firm and determined.  
  
 “Yuki, I…” I gulped, suddenly losing my nerve. There was no need to be nervous; he had already confessed his feelings for me. But even so, a ridiculous thought kept worming its way into my mind that the moment I told him, he would laugh and tell me that it was all a joke, and that he didn’t really love me at all.  
  
 I shook my head lightly to rid myself of such silly theories. Yukio wasn't like that; he would never joke about something so serious.  
My hand reached up on its own, placing my palm flat against his cheek, the warmth radiating from his skin into my fingers.  
His face registered surprise, but soon morphed back into anticipation.  
  
 "...I love you too." I said softly and sincerely.  
  
 My best friend's face broke out into a large grin, spreading from ear to ear. The blue in his eyes seemed to sparkle, like light reflecting off the ocean. Without a moment of hesitation, Yukio gathered me up into his arms and wrapped them around me in a bone crushing hug; something I never quite thought he was capable of.  
  
 My lips opened and a strangled gasp escaped them, trying to get the words to loosen his grip stuck in my throat.  
"  
Y..uuu..kii..oo...!" I gasped out.  
  
"Cuuh...can't...bree..."  
  
 Yukio's grip immediately loosened, untangling his arms from mine and grabbing my shoulders lightly and looking at me with worry evident on his face.  
  
 "Oh, (Y/N)! I'm so sorry, are you alright? Did I hurt you?" The thought of him hurting me sent him into a state of alarm, and I had to quickly assure him that I was fine before he tried to send me to the hospital.  
  
 "No... no I'm..fine. You have... quite... a strong grip there...." I managed to say between pants of breath, struggling to make oxygen return to my lungs. I gave him a weak smile, but on the inside I was shocked. How could he possess such strength? Surely, if I was in that embrace any longer, or if it had been a bit tighter, I think my lungs would have collapsed.  
  
 I don't think that the amount of power he just displayed was even human.  
  
 I decided it would be best not to share this information; it would just make him afraid of touching me at all; maybe even being near me. I didn’t want that; I did love him after all.  
  
 Yukio found it difficult to return the smile; he seemed embarrassed and regretful for hurting me.  
  
“It’s okay, Yuki. I’m fine, and I know you didn’t mean it.” I assured in a comforting voice.  
  
 Huh; I never thought _I’d_ be the one trying to comfort _him_.  
  
 “I know, but… I could have hurt you. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you…” He trailed off with a grim expression.  
  
 Within instinctive movement, my arms wound around his wiry frame, despite the fact that he almost killed me; or at least, severely injured me.  
  
 He placed his pointed chin on the top of my head, slowly breathing in the scent of my vanilla shampoo that I got last week. He exhaled quietly, his hot breath brushing my hair and sending tingles up my spine.  
  
This was all very new to me…  
  
 I never really had any kind of romantic relationship before. Being how I was, I never thought anyone would be interested in me, and so I always figured I would end up alone. I never wanted that, but I felt it was inevitable if I kept being the way that I was, but I wasn’t willing to change myself just to get a boyfriend. That just seemed silly.  
  
 Why change who you are just to be accepted by society and those around you? Just act like yourself, and if no one likes you for it, it’s their loss.  
  
 At least, that’s what I try to tell myself.  
   
 Yukio actually just stole my first kiss.  
  
 Yes. Since I was, and still am, a very antisocial person, I only ever actually had two boyfriends in my entire life.  
  
 My first one, we met in the second grade. I had just been transferred to another elementary school, the name of which I didn’t really care to remember, and I ended up in his class. Immediately after entering the class, I was called a friend by a girl named Tomiko; a brown haired, brown eyed girl with a stuck up attitude. Then the boy I mentioned earlier and I became acquaintances, having been sitting near each other at the time. I tried going to Tomiko's house a few times, but the friendship never worked out. She was too... harsh, and inconsiderate to anyone besides herself.  
  
 It was in the third grade that we actually started hanging out together. In my third grade class, I was met by this tanned skin, black haired girl named Mikki. We ended up becoming friends, I having long forgotten about Tomiko and her rudeness, and we decided to hang out in the sandbox at lunch. That was when I found out that she was friends with the boy that I had met in grade two.  
  
 Daichi.  
  
The three of us would always play together whenever we went outside to the jungle gym, and we grew fairly close friends; a tight-knit trio.  
  
 This lasted for a couple years until fifth grade. I had steadily begun to develop strong feelings for Daichi, though my young self knew not what they were. Mikki’s mother had a job transfer, and she and her daughter would move at the end of October.  
  
 The news hit us hard; Mikki had always been the one to plan out what adventure we would go on every day; she was the one to make things infinitely more interesting than they were. To have her gone… it would mean being stuck with Daichi, whom I was consistently nervous around.  
   
 Mikki had been the one to break me of my initial shyness, but I would probably have returned to my shell if she were not around.  
Before October had come, I had figured out why I felt like I did towards Daichi. A crush. I had a crush on him. It was my first crush, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. What was I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do if I like someone?  
  
 I soon found out. There was this curly blonde haired girl named Emiko in my class. She asked me if I liked anyone, and I mentally debated whether or not I should say anything. What if I told her and she ran off to tell him? That was more than my heart could take. I ended up telling her that I would admit who I had a crush on, only if she promised not to tell anyone else, especially not him.  
  
Everyone took promises seriously back then; it was almost some kind of sacred rule not to break a promise, specifically not a pinky promise.  
  
It didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. As soon as the words left my lips, she dashed off to tell Daichi everything that I said. My heart froze; what would he think of me now? Emiko soon came back and told me he didn’t feel the same way. My heart sunk. It was obvious just how  greatly disappointed I was.  
  
 Not long after, one day when Mikki, Daichi and I were out playing on the jungle gym, Daichi came over to me and asked me if I wanted to go out with him. I was shocked, but I quickly got over it. I had thought that he didn't feel the same because of what Emiko had said, but perhaps she was lying.  
  
 Who was I to question it?  
  
 This is what I had wanted, after all. We ended up dating for the rest of the year, even after Mikki left.  
   
 But just before the sixth grade, my mother moved us to a place that was far away, and I never saw Daichi again. Though, that might have been a good thing, seeing as how I chatted with him online a couple years later once and found out he was into guys.  
  
 My second was in the ninth grade. Not even a week into high school, and I got asked out by a boy by the name of Cho. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I accepted, though it was a week later when I decided I needed to break things off. I couldn’t go out with someone just out of guilt.  
  
 Yukio was my first real boyfriend; one that I actually did intimate things with, like kissing and cuddling. This was all very new to me, and yet it felt almost natural, in some odd way.  
  
 I realized that Yukio had been looking at me for some time now; a loving expression very clear in his eyes. I found myself smiling. If things were always like this, maybe I would like having Yukio as a boyfriend.

 

  
 If only it lasted...

 

~


	8. Chapter 8

 

 

 Lips parted open wide. Hands tightly clutched at the heavily weighing bag, one hand moving shakily to clasp over my gaping mouth, struggling to keep away a scream.  
  
  My (E/C) eyes bulged, unable to leave the sight of fresh, mangled corpses that lay sprawled out in a heaping pile; organs tossed here and there, intestines floated in the pooling dark red substance like octopus tendrils. Most of the victims' eyes were open wide in fright, as if they saw the one who killed them right before it happened; I don't doubt that they did.  
  
 The blood had splattered on the walls, over all the posters, covering the faces of the characters in a thick layer of red.  
  
 Even the ceiling wasn't completely spared, drops of the vibrant color trickling from above, down the walls, and adding to the already large pool.  
  
And there he stood.  
  
Yukio...  
  
He stood in the middle of it all; the ends of his black trench coat were dripping with blood, staring down at his caked hands with a blank expression on his face. Drops of the crimson liquid stained his lenses, but he didn’t seem bothered by it. His back was partially turned to me, but I could still see the look in his eyes. I didn’t quite know what it was, but there was something so terrifying about it that I wanted to turn and run away.  
  
 How did this happen?  
  
 Why?!  
  
 It had been several months since we started dating, and everything was great. Things had pretty much carried on like they did before, except now Yukio would display his affections more publicly.  
  
 Whether it be an arm around me, a kiss on the cheek, or him looking at me with that loving gaze, he didn’t seem to care that he was doing all of these things where other people could see it; I on the other hand, took quite a while to adjust to all the attention we received, but I figured I would get over it eventually.  
  
But now…  
  
 It was Saturday, and I had come to Yukio’s house on my own because he wasn’t at school today. I was worried that he might have gotten sick, as I knew that Yukio would NEVER normally miss a day.  
  
 I wanted to make sure he was okay, and so as soon as the bell rang for dismissal, I high-tailed it to the school-dorm like building, walking in and heading right to Yukio’s door. I had knocked on it, fully expecting a really weak reply from my supposedly sick boyfriend, but all I got in return was silence.  
  
 Yukio had given me my own key to his room, and so I decided to use it to check on him, despite being uncomfortable just barging in like I was. I pushed my concerns aside and entered his room, only to run into this horrific sight.  
  
 After a minute, it seemed to finally register to him that someone had come in. His head slowly turned around, face still unreadable until he realized who he was looking at. A smile soon broke out onto his face. It was the same smile he always used when looking at me, his gentle smile. It did not comfort me like it usually did.  
  
“(Y/N)-chan…” He murmured with a peaceful look.  
  
 “I didn’t know you were coming today. I’m sorry about the mess; just let me clean up a bit before we do anything, okay?”  
  
 He said this with an unbelievably calm tone, as if he didn’t kill a large number of people in his bedroom. He was acting like everything was normal, and it was more than I could bear. My eyes began to sting before warm droplets began trickling down my cheeks, a sob escaped my lips.  
  
 What was happening? Why was Yukio acting like this?  
  
 He seemed almost normal, but... with all the dead bodies in his room, it was clear to see he was not his usual self.  
  
 At the sight of my crying, Yukio let a small frown appear in place of his smile. He strode over to me, and my legs began to wobble as I try and stagger away from him, but he quickly closed the gap between us and wrapped me into his warm embrace like he usually did.  
  
It didn’t feel like the embrace we would usually share. This felt… constricting.  
  
 As if I was a bird, and Yukio's arms around me were the cage.  
  
  _I... What do I do...?_  
  
“Shh… it’ll be alright. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise…”  
  
 Words that would have normally been comforting hit me like a harsh slap.  
  
“W…what… what have you done…?”  
  
My voice shook more than I would've liked. Though it's not like I could help it.  
  
 Yukio froze for a moment, taking me by the shoulders and backing away slightly to look into my glistening orbs.  
  
 “(Y/N)-chan, they were trying to interfere with us. They were going to try and take you away from me. I heard them all talking at school last week about how they were going to do something horrible to you, so I got rid of them before they became a threat.” He smiled, as if proud by what he’d done.  
  
 Looking pass Yukio, I paid closer attention to the bodies that littered the floor. Upon closer inspection, my eyes widened. They were those jerks that used to tease me all the time; Hideki and his gang.  
  
That is, until Yukio started sticking up for me.  
  
 I can imagine them now; joking around with their friends in class; eating together, having fun together, happy, breathing…  
  
 Now they were dead.  
  
 Yukio killed them.  
  
 I tore my gaze away from the nauseating sight, looking up at the boy that I had fallen in love with. What has become of him? I’m not sure I want to know the answer.  
  
“Yuki… y-you can’t just kill people!”  
  
“Why not? If they are becoming a nuisance to our relationship, then I have no choice. Nothing is going to stop me from being with you.”  
  
 The serious tone in his voice was disturbing. Not only did he kill those people, he also didn’t seem to see anything wrong with it.  
  
 That last sentence made something inside of me snap.  
  
 My expression formed an angry look as my lips pulled back; eyes narrowed into slits.  
  
Nothing was going to stop him, huh?  
  
We’ll see about that.  
  
“Yeah? Well I don’t want to have anything to do with you if you’re going to kill people, Yuki. I don’t care if they were going to do something to me. This is wrong, and it also proves that you don’t seem mentally stable enough to be in a relationship. I’m sorry it had to be this way, but I can’t go out with you anymore. I should really report you to the police, but I won’t because then you would have a reason to kill me too; though I do suggest staying the hell away from me from now on.” I snarled.  
  
 Yukio just looked down in silence, his hair falling into his eyes. And then, he lost all sense of reason.  
   
He laughed.  
  
 He laughed and laughed; a high-pitched, deranged laugh that would have sent me cowering in fear, had his arms not been around me. I stared at him wide-eyed, fearing what he would do to me when he stopped laughing. Would I be punished? The thought sent a shiver down my spine, all courage that I had felt, suddenly disappeared without a trace.  
  
His laughter eventually died down, but he was still letting loose a few giggles every now and then.  
  
 “You… ehehe… are funny… hah... (Y/N)-chan.” He gasped.  
  
“But I meant… what I said. Nothing is going to stop me from being with you... and that includes you.”  
  
He leaned in and placed his lips on my neck; kissing softly. I flinched at the action. I could feel my mind as it slowly began going into a blind panic. What did he mean? He wasn’t going to try to stop me from leaving him, was he? I went rigid at the thought.  
  
No, he couldn’t possibly-  
  
“You can’t leave me, (Y/N)-chan. I love you far too much to ever let you go.”  
  
 His whispered words made my body go numb. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of ice cold water on me. Weakly, I again tried to squirm out of his hold; but his arms only coiled tighter around me. I was trapped, and he knew it.  
  
"You can't do this, Yuki. Please, let me go..."  
  
He never responded, only began to let his fingers wander freely.  
  
I felt almost as though I would suffocate from the pressure of his body against mine, it was warm, no, it was hot, enough to burn me alive.  
  
 There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t escape his vice-like grip, his possessive kisses placed on my collarbone all the way up to my jaw. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the sight of him, but the thought of Yukio began to slowly invade my mind.  
  
“I love you so much…”  
  
If Yukio hadn’t of been holding me so tightly, I would have collapsed. Useless musings began to play through my head. How had it come to this? Surely I hadn’t done anything to deserve something like this. How had I not seen this coming?  
  
 A tear fell from my eye. I knew the reason deep down. I loved Yukio.  
  
 I wanted to believe that this was actually happening to me. That someone like me, could find someone to love that would actually return my feelings. I couldn’t- no, I wouldn’t want to believe the guy that I had fallen in love with, had such a dark, twisted flaw.  
  
 “…You’re starting to sound like a yandere, Yukio…”  
  
 My voice seemed to surprise him, as he looked up from his ministrations and stared at me curiously. I said nothing else; just continued to look at him while waiting for him to respond. By this point, Yukios' lips, teeth and tongue have all made the skin around my neck a bright red color.  
   
After a couple seconds, the reaction was almost instantaneous.  
  
 A slow, soft smile perked his lips, his eyes holding that loving gaze.  
  
 “I can see how you might come to that conclusion. But, I believe I'm a little different than that. Because, you see, my love far exceeds that of a mere yandere.”  
  
 My body filled with dread. Worse than a yandere?  
  
 I spent a lot of time reading about yandere characters, and so I had pretty much hammered the definition of it into my brain.  
  
 From what I have read... yandere is a term that came to be by combining two different words; “yanderu”, meaning sickness, and “dere” meaning love-struck.  
  
 It is a term often used in fan-fiction when talking about certain anime and manga characters such as Gasai Yuno from Mirai Nikki. They were supposed to love a single person so much that they would do anything to have them, by any means necessary.  
  
 The problem was, that the yandere would usually end up killing everyone they deem as a threat to prevent them from trying to interfere in any way, and their pursuit of their loved one usually ends with the death of the loved one.  
  
 Yuki placed his head in the crook of my neck; seemingly tired of waiting for me to say anything more. I somehow gained back the ability to use my voice, and croaked out a question that I had been wondering since I found out his true self.  
  
 “…Does that mean you’re going to kill me too?”  
  
 The sentence seemed to push Yuki over the edge, as his hands began to grip me tightly. He pressed his lips to a lot of areas on my skin, almost as if in some kind of desperate frenzy, letting go of me with one hand in order to slip his glasses off, clipping them on his coat then wrapping his arm back around me securely again.  
  
“Of course not. I could never kill you, even if I wanted to. I know that that is what most yanderes' do, but I told you, I’m not like that. I will never hurt you, I promise.”  
  
 Things were getting really heated when all of a sudden, there was a knock the door. Yukio seemed so surprised that he loosened his grip, not that much, but it was all I needed.  
  
 A swift kick to the groin sent Yukio stumbling backwards, grunting from the intense pain.  
  
 My feet had a mind of their own as I sprinted forward, wrenching the door open and darted past the delivery guy that stood outside with a dumbfounded expression.  
  
 “(Y/N)..!” Yuki gasped. I chanced a look back to see Yukio with a hysterical expression, like a father who was watching their son run out into open traffic.  
  
 The look in his eyes made my blood run cold. I turned around and started running with everything that I had.  
His eyes. The look in them was…  
  
 He was going to come for me. I would have to run as far as I can, and that still might not even be enough. I fought back against the inner fear that had begun to claw through me. From that look in his eyes, I knew.  
  
That he would be unstoppable.

 

~


	9. Chapter 9

 “Mustn’t… stop…can’t…let him…catch me…”  
  
 A fire burned in my lungs making it difficult to breathe; pain stabbed my insides from the lack of oxygen.  
  
 None of the area looked familiar. Streetlights lined the empty roads, garbage bags were scattered on the sidewalk overflowing with trash and accompanied by a putrid stench. Beaten, rundown houses were built on dry, yellow colored grass. I saw no one outside, and my mind actually began to wonder if there was anybody inside the houses either.  
  
 I was somewhere in town, a part I had never explored before now, and one that seemed abandoned. But even so, I had no time to stop and “admire” the scenery. I had been running for so long, a burst of adrenaline rushing through me to numb the pain, but now it had long since passed, and my usage of energy was taking its toll.  
  
 My legs felt as though I was wearing giant weights on them, and each step I took, the weights grew heavier. I had reached my limit, but I knew I had to keep going. I had to escape from Yukio’s mad stare, from the overwhelming and suffocating love that he wished to drown me with.  
  
 “Dammit. Why… did this have… to… happen to… me?” I puffed.  
  
 I had always wanted my life to be a little more exciting, not that I would ever admit it, but I never asked for this.  
  
 “This is all _his_ fault. If he hadn’t of-”  
  
 My foot caught on something and I was falling down face-first.  
  
 A hand shot out from somewhere, grabbing me by my arm and pulling me into an alley.  
  
My first instinct was to fight against them, thinking they were some kind of murderer or rapist, or maybe even Yukio. I brought my foot forward, and quickly brought it back to kick my captor but they blocked my attack. I was about to try to elbow the person in the jaw until a voice prevented me from doing so.  
  
“Hey- Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!” He whispered loudly from behind.  
  
 His voice suggested he was a teenager, and it definitely wasn't Yukio. However, it did sound awfully familiar...  
  
 Reluctant, and still suspicious, I stopped struggling against the guy and impatiently waited for him to let me go. Slowly, as if making sure I wasn’t going to try and hit him again, he released me and allowed me to turn around and see him.  
  
 The boy had short, somewhat spiky dark blue hair. His eyes were a deep blue- though not at all like Yukio's- his were darker, a little closer to the color of sapphire. While looking at his mouth, I thought I might have seen a fang sticking out. The boy wore what looked like a school uniform, though not from any school I've seen around here...  
  
 He shot me a toothy grin, holding up his hand in a greeting gesture.  
  
 "Sup? I'm Rin Okumura. Nice to meet ya!"  
  
 I didn't know what to say in that moment. How could I?  
  
 This guy looked and sounded really familiar, just as Yukio had, and also claimed to have the same last name as Yukio, so that could only mean-  
  
 "...You're his brother?" I whispered quietly.  
  
 It was the most likely explanation. But I can't help but feel a little bothered by something...  
  
 "Huh...? Oh, You mean Yukio's brother? Yeah, we're brothers! We were born together as twins, but I'm the older one." He closed his eyes proudly.  
  
 _...Why didn't Yukio tell me he had a brother? A twin, no less..._  
  
  _...This doesn't seem right._  
  
 Rin suddenly snapped his fingers, looking as if he'd just remembered something.  
  
 "Oh yeah! I forgot to mention about the guy behind me. You, uh... you might know him!" With that, he began gesturing behind him at a shadowed individual that I somehow hadn't seen before now.  
  
 My eyes widened; my heart rate quickened till I thought it was going to pop out of my chest.  
  
His hair was very long for a male, spilling over his deep red bandana and cascading down to his back. He wore a vibrant red cloak held in place by various buckles that made him look like something out of a movie, the top of it partially covering the bottom half of his face. The cloak only covered his upper body however, where as the rest of his outfit was black, also held with buckles. His skin was pale, as if he didn't spend too much time in the sun, a golden gauntlet on left arm, lean body shape, gun holster strapped to his right leg and…  
  
His eyes. They pierced into me with an unknown expression, glowing the brightest shade of crimson that I've ever seen. They were almost demonic...  
  
 "...No way..." Was all I could manage to say.  
  
 Was this really happening? Was I really staring at-  
  
 "Yeah, you already knew him, huh? I'm not really surprised. He is a popular one, after all!"  
   
 He laughed a bit, and pointed to him. "(Y/N), this is Vincent Valentine. Vince, this is (Y/N)."  
  
 The one and only Vincent Valentine, nodded his head at me in greeting.  
  
 "B-but... What is a Final Fantasy character doing here?!"  
  
 I knew it wasn't just a guy in a costume. Everything was too realistic looking.  
  
 Rin blinked; and then began scratching his sheepishly.  
  
 "Well, I would explain, but that might take a while... and honestly it's probably better if we get out of here soon." As he said this, his eyes began darting around, as if waiting for something, or someone.  
  
"Fine, but how did you know who I was? Did Yukio send you to retrieve me?"  
  
 My eyes narrowed at the very thought.  
  
 No. I couldn’t go back now; not after everything that happened. Not after what Yukio had become.  
  
 Rin's expression had turned grave.  
  
Vincent's unnerving red irises flickered over to burn into mine as Rin prepared himself to explain.  
  
 “Like I said, Yukio is… my little brother.” He confessed.  
  
 "But that doesn't mean I'm here on his behalf! I-we came to help you!"  
  
“ You're saying you're innocent, huh? Well why should I believe you? For all I know, this could be a trap that Yukio set up in order to get me back, and I refuse to go back there.”  
  
My tone was icy and relentless. Rin’s face had twisted into an annoyed look, and he ran his fingers through his short blue spikes before responding.  
  
“No, that’s not why I’m here. I am completely against everything he is trying to do, so I’m trying to find a way to stop him. Me and a few others are trying to come up with a plan so we can make him realize that he is making a mistake, and try to take him home. But if we can’t convince him…” Rin trailed off, wincing.  
  
I nodded. If he couldn’t be saved, Yukio had to be… eliminated.  
  
My gaze left his face and landed on the dirty ground of the alleyway.  
  
“Let’s say I do believe you…” I started quietly, shuffling my foot.  
  
“Why come and tell me this? Why did you come for me after I just escaped Yuki?”  
  
“Because, for this plan to work, we need you.”  
  
My head shot up and I looked at Rin with wild eyes.  
  
 “What?! Are you crazy?! You want me to get close to that maniac again? What if the plan fails? I’ll end up stuck with him forever!”  
  
 My breathing turned ragged and uneven and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep myself in check. There was no way I could face Yukio after what happened, and there were too many uncertainties that came along with that plan.  
  
 Rin, who was looking at me with sympathy, came toward me and gently gripped me the shoulders.  
  
 “Look, there is always going to be risks in every situation, no matter what the circumstances are. Yukio needs to be stopped. He can’t force you to love him while he kills anyone he feels necessary, and we need him to realize that.” There was a trace of melancholy in his eyes.  
  
 “Yukio… wasn’t always like this, you know. He was such a wimp when we were younger. He was always getting bullied, always getting picked on for things he couldn’t help, like his glasses. But even then, he was always so cheerful and supportive. He was always smiling. But... When dad died…”  
  
 He paused, taking a breath.  
  
“He changed. Started locking himself in his room, didn't talk to anyone, not even me. I tried to get him to open up to me, but all he did was look at me with this... blank look on his face. Like he was numb; like he was empty inside. I tried. I tried so hard to get him to talk to me, but that was all I would get from him. A dead stare. Like all the life had been sucked out of him the moment dad stopped breathing."(1)  
  
 Rin's grip tightened on my shoulders, eyes hardened with seriousness. I looked back at him with anticipation.  
  
 What was he going to say?  
  
"It still doesn't excuse what he did. I never would have thought my little brother would be capable of doing something like this, had I not witnessed it myself..."  
  
 "This isn't the first time, you know... We had a girl with us once. Always liked to hang out with the two of us. After a while, it seemed Yukio was getting better. He stopped locking himself away. Started acting like his old self again. It wasn't long after that that it happened."  
  
 Rin looked so heartbroken all of a sudden; as though he was on the verge of tears.  
  
 "Shiemi... she..."  
  
 He shook his head.  
  
 _Shiemi? Is that the one that used to call him Yuki as well?_  
  
 My chest began to hurt. Yukio was the one who...?  
  
 "There was nothing we could do. I just don't understand why he can kill so easily..."  
  
 His words sent my mind back to the words I had said to Yukio earlier that day.  
  
 _I don’t want to have anything to do with you if you’re going to kill people, Yuki. I don’t care if they were going to do something to me. This is **wrong**._  
  
 Why did I feel guilty all of a sudden?  
  
  Rin had a bitter smile when uttering out his next sentences.  
  
 "But I guess this is all my fault in a way... I was practically the reason for our fathers' death."  
  
 My eyes widened; what did he mean, he was the reason? Did he kill their father?  
  
 A small hand came and rested upon Rin's strong and calloused one, eyes looking into each others.  
  
"Rin", I began softly, "What do you mean you practically caused his death? Did you have a hand in killing him?"  
  
 He was about to answer, but Vincent came forward and pushed me into him.  
  
His mouth became a thin hard line. He stared past me, at the entrance of the alley, with blood red eyes narrowed disdainfully. I tried to turn my head, to see just what, or who, he was staring at, but he quickly shoved my head into his chest to prevent me from doing so. I began struggling against him, unable to breathe with my face smothered into his red cloak.  
  
"...Can you handle this?" Vincent spoke quietly.  
  
 "Yeah. You go on ahead." Rin spoke confidently, and I struggled to remove myself from the pale man's chest; loosing air much too fast to be able to enjoy being close to one of the coolest and most handsome Final Fantasy characters there were.  
  
 Ignoring my fight for air, the vermilion eyed man wrapped his arms around me tightly, and without any warning, jumped off the ground, and landed somewhere nearby with a soft thud of his boots. Vincent didn't hesitate to start running as soon as his feet touched the ground, or whatever we were now on, holding me tightly to his chest and being jostled about.  
  
  I still struggled to remove my head from his cloak to see anything, to have any indication to where we were heading all of a sudden. Had Yukio caught up to me? The thought made me a little sad, and I wasn't quite sure why.  
  
 Though however innocent his intent was, it was still wrong what he did... wasn't it? I could feel my mind begin to cloud over with a lingering doubt.  
  
 My heart clenched painfully inside my chest. Yukio... he was just lonely, that's all. He just wanted someone to be with, and right now that person was me. No matter how crude his methods were, he was just trying to make sure that I wouldn't be taken away from him, that I wouldn't leave him for someone else.  But I didn't love anyone else. I never would have left Yukio, were it not for my survival instincts, but... after doing what he did... could he be forgiven? He's done a lot of horrible things...  
  
  _Hah, what am I saying..?_  
  
 This was a pointless debate. No matter what, killing was despicable, no matter the reason. At least, that was what I had come to tell myself after being witnessed to such a gruesome scene; one that had begun to play in my head over and over again like some kind of broken record when I had ran for my life, trying to escape from the boy I thought I knew.  
  
 Rin had said that he and a few others had come up with a plan to deal with him, and I suppose that I have no choice but to go with that plan. After all, I was no match against Yukio all by myself. Despite his appearance, he was incredibly strong; as I had had the misfortune of being the one to test that theory out the hard way when he almost broke my ribs from that hug; and that wasn't an exaggeration.  
  
 I sighed against Vincent's cloak. I could breathe a little now, since he had so kindly stopped shoving my face into his chest, but now I just laid my head atop his slowly rising and falling chest of my own accord, faintly hearing the calm thumping of his heartbeat.  
  
 One thing was for certain. When the time came, I would have to face him. But right now, feeling the wind brushing against my cold, pale cheeks, hearing the quick steps of the raven haired male holding me so carefully and protectively in his arms,  I wasn't so sure if I was ready to try and take him down.  
  
 

~


	10. Chapter 10

The inside was much bigger than I thought it would be. Here I was, some half hour later being carried to a location only Vincent Valentine, a video game character that I remember since childhood, knew how to get to, save the supposed "other people" who were going to help in the situation that would take place when confronting Yukio, and now I was standing in the middle of a pricey looking mansion that made me a little nervous just being in it.  
  
 Everywhere you looked; there would be pristine, well-kept furniture and decor sitting in every corner that must have cost a fortune.  
  
 This was where everything would take place? A mansion? Just being in here was making me feel self-conscious. My eyes darted around, seeing the intricate designs on the carpet floor, the priceless vases, and the crystal chandeliers looming up above our heads. All of it was so intimidating; it made my fingers twitch.  
  
“When you told me where we were going, I never expected it to be so… spacious.” I tested the word on my tongue, glancing over at Vincent with a funny look.  
  
“Yes, well this mansion actually belongs to-”  
  
“Vince!” A sudden voice broke out. Turning to the voice in question, a petite girl with short black hair and big, dark, brown eyes came charging at Vincent with full speed, arms open wide, and succeeding in knocking him flat on the ground. Vincent just layed there, expressionless as the girl who sat on top of him started giggling and hugging him.  
  
 The sight was comical, to say the least, how the mostly stoic male made it look as though this was not a first time thing.  
  
 While staring, I was suddenly hit with that wave of familiarity.  
  
_Hm. I know I've seen her somewhere before..._  
  
 I watched on with a bemused expression, not even caring that the girl had completely ignored my presence. Vincent let out a long, weary sigh from underneath the female trapping him in her arms.  
  
 “...Yuffie, now is not the time for this. We have a guest…”  
  
_Ah! That's right. Yuffie Kisaragi from Final Fantasy VII, same as Vincent. Why didn't I realize that sooner?_  
  
 “Aw, come on Vinny! Don’t you think I know that? You kept saying how you were going to try and find this girl before Yukio could do anything to her, right? I was just saying hi!”  
  
 Yuffie, gave a small pout.  
  
 The glare Vincent sent her was enough to make me shiver. If looks could kill, she would have already had a tombstone. (1)  
   
“I told you to stop calling me that.” He growled.  
  
 Yuffie scoffed, waving his harsh tone off with her small hand.  
  
 “Whatever. Look, are you going to introduce me to her or not?”  
  
 “As soon as you get off me.”  
  
 In the next second, Yuffie jumped off of Vincent with a back-flip, landing gracefully on her feet a little away from him. Vincent rose up from the ground in a very unnatural way, cracking his neck to ease himself of the kinks that had formed thanks to the black haired girl.  
  
 I just stared on in awe. How did they do that? I mean, I know they're video game characters but... Yuffie could backflip, Vincent almost levitated, and here I was, a stranger, just watching them.  
  
 The childish girl turned her head, finally taking notice of me, before running over and grabbing my hand, almost crushing it in her grip, and began shaking it up and down wildly in some sort of weird handshake.  
  
 “Hey! I’m Yuffie. Vincent and Rin told us you were coming, but never told us your name. May I ask what your name is?” The energy that radiated from the girl was almost terrifying, as well as the death grip she had on my hand during our greeting.  
  
 Nonetheless, I smiled, albeit weakly, and nodded.  
  
 “Yeah, I’m (Y/N). Rin and Vincent found me shortly after I…” I trailed off, a pained look flew across my face.  
   
Yukio’s face flashed in my mind. His warm smile, his gentle embrace…  
  
 I shook my head rapidly. I couldn’t let myself think about that. Not now.  
  
 Yuffie nodded, a sad smile on her face.  
  
 “Yeah. Rin told us everything that his brother did. Don’t worry; it wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t possibly have known. Rin had told us that his brother had some problems, but I don't think any of us could have predicted anything like this..."  
  
 “...It's despicable.” Vincent cut in, his eyes displaying what must have been disgust.  
  
 “No one saw it coming. Not even him.”  
  
  My gaze drifted to the floor, hair falling into my face and partially obscuring my view.  
  
 “Hey, Vincent? Is it alright if I rest up a bit? I feel like I haven’t had a decent rest in a while.”  
  
 Though that wasn’t necessarily true, having had an ok sleep just last night, before heading over to Yukio’s. But now I felt completely drained; physically, emotionally, and mentally.  
  
 Vincent said or did nothing for a moment, before deciding to give a stiff nod. Yuffie gave the cloaked man a pat on the back, making him grunt quietly.  
  
 "Yeah, I can show you to the guest bedroom. Follow me."  
  
  Yuffie then walked over to me, a knowing look crossing her features and she nodded, grabbing my hand and started leading the way through the endless maze of corridors that was the mansion. I didn’t even bother to keep track of how many turns we took, or how many flights of stairs we climbed; all I know is that wherever Yuffie was taking me, it sure was difficult to get there.  
  
 The chirpy girl had been talking about something or other that I really couldn’t focus on, and so I had taken to just zoning out of the conversation completely. Yuffie didn’t seem to mind though; she was happy enough to hold up both sides of the conversation.  
  
 After who knows how many hallways, we entered a particular corridor that made Yuffie stop talking.  
  
“Ah! This is it. It’s just down this hallway now…”  
  
"I'll never remember all of this..." I sighed.  
  
 Now walking much faster than before, I began to stumble after her since she still had a grip on my hand. It seemed my hand was always the one getting the worst of it today; at least, considering the handshake I received earlier. We finally stopped in front of a light wooden door.  
  
"This is the one! Let me just get this open now..."  
  
 She started rummaging through her pockets, searching for something. No doubt, it was a key she was looking for.  
  
 Eventually she found it, as her eyes lit up, yanking her hand out of one of her pockets, but instead of just one key, it was a bunch of them, all dangling from a keyring attached to a chain. The sight had my thoughts involuntarily flashing back to Yukio.  
  
_He had a lot of keys too... I wonder what they were for? I never asked him..._  
  
_Ker-chunk._  
  
 "There! Now it's unlocked, so you can- uh, (Y/N)? You okay?"  
  
 I jumped out of my thoughts and turned to her, smiling lightly.  
  
 Not to mention forcefully.  
  
 "Ah, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking."  
  
 Yuffie gave a confused look, only to then look as if realization dawned on her. She nodded, now holding that sympathetic expression. I almost frowned.  
  
  _Pity. That's something I'm going to be getting from people now, huh?_  
  
 It was a sad thought. Even if my boyfriend was psychotic, I didn't need those pitiful gazes directed at me. It only brought me back to the times where I felt helpless and weak. I didn't want their sympathy. I wanted...  
  
 I wanted to be strong enough to take care of my problems before they ruined me. At first I wanted my life to be different. That is what I had secretly hoped for, but... I didn't think it would turn out like this, with people dying because of me...  
  
 "You go ahead and rest. Me or someone else will come up here to get you tomorrow so we can discuss the plan." Yuffie said this as she closed the door behind me, leaving me alone in a fancy guest room.  
  
 "Ah, geez, all of this stuff looks so expensive. I'm almost afraid to move in here, in case I break something..."  
  
 Regardless, I carefully made my way to the king sized bed in the middle of the room, plopping down on it with a sigh of relief. Shifting myself more onto the bed, I was pleasantly surprised by how soft the mattress was. It was probably also very expensive. The thought sent me reeling back into an uncomfortable and nervous state.  
  
"...So, here I am, huh?"  
  
" I can't believe that I met Vincent Valentine... he's even better looking in real life..."  
  
"And Yuffie too. A female ninja and a thief. Hah, I wonder how well she would do in Naruto."  
  
"...Then again, I'd imagine she would end up something like Tenten. She has that giant shuriken and all..."  
  
 I sighed, looking up at the white ceiling. It was getting dark out. The sun had already set a while ago, and now the stars were becoming visible, shining in the sky through the now almost inky blackness. It certainly was a beautiful night.  
  
 "What am I supposed to do? I need to try and convince Yuki to stop this madness, but if I can't..."  
  
  
 ...  
  
  
 "...Can I really kill him...?"  
  


 

  
***

 

 

  


_"No...no please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'll never do it again I swear! So please don't-"_

 

 

_Bang._

 

 

_"Aghgh!! I-It hurts! Ple-please stop! I-"_

 

   
_Bang. Bang.  
_

 

 

_"AUGHH! OH GOD, PLEASE STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHI-"_

 

 

_Bang, Bang._

 

 

_Bang, Bang, Bang_.

 

 

  _"...Sorry...?"_

 

 

_..._

 

 

_"You think that's going to make me forgive you...? Saying "sorry"?_

 

 ...

 

 ...

 

 ...

 

_"SORRY DOESN'T EXCUSE WHAT YOU DID TO HER!"_

 

_Bang. Bang, bang._

 

 

_Bang. Bang._

 

 

_"Sorry doesn't make up for anything! In fact, it just pisses me off more..."_

 

 

_**Bang. Bang. Bang.** _

 

 

_"SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH ALREADY?!"_

 

 

_**BANG. BANG. BANG, BANG.** _

 

**_BANG BANG BANG._ **

 

_"Ahh... haven't got anything to say...?"_

 

"..."

 

"That's better. Now..."

 ...

 

 ...

 

 ...

   
"Where are you, (Y/N)-chan...?"

 ~


	11. Chapter 11

 

 Waking up was the worst part of it all.  
  
 My vision slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room from the light streaming in through the windows. It wasn’t my house, or Yukios', that much was certain.  
  
A humorless chuckle escaped my lips.  
  
 Why would I expect anything else after everything that Yukio did? A part of me was hoping that if I went to sleep… that maybe when I woke up, everything would just disappear; that maybe nothing had changed.  
  
 A foolish thought, I suppose. But can you really imagine any different from someone still in love with their serial killer boyfriend?  
   
 My hands shook as I slowly brought them closer to my face.  
   
 “Nothing… Nothing has changed. It was all real. Yukio really is…”  
   
 _A murderer. A Psycho. A yandere._  
   
 I could think these words just fine, but I just could not bring myself to say them.  
   
Thinking back, it was strange; that lingering feeling of déjà vu I would always get around him. It had never really went away, but after knowing Yukio for a while I kind of just… got used to it, but…  
   
 Who is Yukio really? Whenever I was with him I always felt like… like I knew him from somewhere. I have this bizarre feeling that he should be familiar to me- though the reason for it still continues to evade me.  
   
 The funny thing is, I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was staring me in the face.  
   
 A sudden knock at the door broke my train of thought, as well as almost making my body jump a foot in the air. I cursed silently at being frightened before turning my attention to my new visitor.  
   
 “Come in.” I called, my own voice surprising me by how strained it sounded.  
 The stress was no doubt getting to me.  
   
 Without even a reply, the door opened and in the doorway stood the handsome as ever Vincent Valentine- a stoic expression clear on his face.  
   
 “I will escort you downstairs as soon as you are dressed; there are clothes in the wardrobe. I will wait outside.” He then turned on his heel without another word, closing the door quietly behind him.  
   
 I blinked slowly. Having played most Final Fantasy games, including the one with Vincent as the star, I had already been quite aware of how much of a silent, emotionless person he could be, but I hadn’t been expecting this.  
   
 Slowly, I got out of the warm, comfortable bed and onto the cold floor, immediately wanting to crawl back into the blankets.  
   
  _You might think that since this is a mansion, they would have better heating in this place._   My mind grumbled.  
   
 My bare feet grew used to the sudden change of temperature as I made my way toward the chestnut colored grand wardrobe.  
   
 Grabbing the golden handles and swinging them open, my eyes were greeted with the sight that would be mostly any girls’ dream- any girl besides me, of course.  
   
 Dresses. So many of them lined the walls of the wardrobe- elegant, black colored ones, frilly pink prom ones, dresses for clubbing, dining expensively, and- surprise, surprise, a few white wedding dresses were apparent as well.  
  
 I was never one to be into fashion- especially not dresses- but even by anyone’s standards, this might seem a little bit extreme. My hands reached for one, studying the Victorian styled design before letting it fall back into place, sighing.  
   
 Was there any normal clothes, or did I even have a choice in the matter? Not to mention the fact that everything in this mansion had to have cost a fortune, meaning these dresses probably didn’t come cheap either- though that was a given feeling the silken material of most of them. Wearing one, I could easily see myself spilling something or staining it with food, or even dirt.  
   
 I shook my head. There had to be normal clothing in there somewhere. I just had to get down on my knees and dig for them.  
   
 And so I did.  
   
 After about a mountain of even more dresses- I finally found something decent. A dark blue shirt, baggy jeans and a zip-up sweater. Just what I was used to wearing.  
   
 Quickly shrugging them on, I found myself slightly surprised that Vincent hadn’t knocked on the door to ask if I was ready yet. I had forgotten how patient he could be…  
   
 In seconds, the door was open, my eyes sliding over to the right to see the silent man leaning against the wall, watching me with an unreadable face.  
   
 “Are you ready?” He asked quietly.  
   
 I found myself nodding.  
  
 He gave a nod in acknowledgement, as well, before proceeding to walk silently down the hallway, most likely expecting me to follow, which I began to do quickly- I cannot imagine I would ever find my way out of this place without guidance.  
   
 As we walked, no one spoke. The silence was heavy, and it gave me time to think- something that I didn’t particularly like.  
   
 Because every time I thought, my mind would go back to Yukio, and everything that happened. It had seemed like everything in the world was okay up until that point; as if nothing could have possibly gone wrong.  
   
 My eyelids drooped slightly.  
   
 Thinking about it now- when I had gotten angry at Yukio, I hadn’t even thought about it. It was in the heat of the moment, but now, ever since then I couldn’t help but feel kind of _guilty._ Maybe it was because I hadn’t known about his past until Rin filled me in, but it still… wasn’t right. Was it?  
   
 I don’t know what to feel anymore. It’s almost like I’ve fallen victim to Stockholm syndrome even though Yukio didn’t have the chance to keep me captive.  
   
 “Hey…”  
   
 Vincent kept his pace, but answered with a soft, “hn?”  
   
 Even though he was looking straight ahead, I still felt the need to lower my gaze.  
  
 “Are you going to tell me what happened… The reason why you are here, in the real world?” I whispered.  
   
 “…All will be explained downstairs. Don’t worry.”  
   
 Silence fell once again. This time, it lasted until we arrived downstairs.

~


	12. Chapter 12

The way back was longer than I remembered it being.  
  
 Not that I was paying that much attention, as the silence lingering between Vincent and I was reaching unbearable levels, and I found myself desperately wanting to come across someone- anyone to talk to, despite my nervousness.  
  
 Even as I followed Vincent through the brightly lit hallways, I was internally questioning my state of mind.  
  
 Had I gone crazy? I was in a mansion with video game characters, ones that I knew, and I was hardly reacting at all.  
  
 Why was that?  
  
 Perhaps my nerves weren’t in the best state because of… everything that happened… prior to my coming here.  
  
 I suppose this was something I could think about later, when I’m not in the middle of going to greet Final Fantasy characters who somehow made it into real-life existence.  
  
 After turning the corner of yet another corridor, we finally reached an arched doorway which lead to what seemed like a dining area. Eight wooden chairs were pushed into the large rectangular table, all of them had their backs filled with intricate designs, carefully constructed by what must have been an expert craftsman.  
  
 Another chandelier hung high above our heads, and I couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by the way it slowly swung ominously back and forth, as though it was an antique clock hand.  
  
 I then noticed that Vincent and I weren’t the only ones in the room. Yuffie had her back to us, smoothing out the starch-white table cloth with her fingers, though quickly turned around upon our entry.  
  
 “Oh! You’re just in time- Breakfast is ready!” A goofy grin spread across her face as she gestured to the plates stacked with food sitting on the table- eggs, bacon, toast, French toast, pancakes, hash browns, ham, sausages- pretty much any breakfast food you could think of was lying on the table, the smell easily wafting towards us and teasing our noses by the delicious aroma. I didn’t even bother to question why there was way too much food for just the three of us- four, counting Rin, if he was here…  
  
 I was drooling on the inside; I turned my head to see Vincent’s reaction, only to find that his expression hadn’t changed at all. My face turned back to the food quickly. I probably should have expected that, but I can’t help but feel a little sad that he doesn’t show emotion all that often.  
   
 The ninja girl giggled at both of our expressions.  
  
 “At least someone looks a little excited! And don’t think I’m fooled Vince… I know you get just as hungry as any normal person does, so I know you’re glad about the food, aren’tcha?”  
  
 There was a teasing tone in her voice that almost made me smile, but I couldn’t help but actually chuckle when Vincent sighed and muttered a quiet “thank you”.  
  
 I sat in the chair farthest the left, Yuffie sat at one of the ends, the one beside me, and Vincent sat across from me.  
  
 The sight of the food in front of me almost made my stomach grumble in anticipation. It was hard to decide just what to grab first. The bacon looked nice and crispy, and the pancakes were smothered in syrup and a touch of butter.  
  
 I ended up grabbing whatever was closest to me, which just so happened to be another stack of pancakes, topped with whipped cream, bright red strawberries, blue berries and raspberries. Syrup dripped down the sides and some sort of chocolate seemed to be drizzled around and on the creamy surface. I could feel myself salivating over the sight.  
  
 Yuffie laughed to herself.  
  
 “Feel free to dig in!”  
  
 My cheeks suddenly felt hot after that; I must have looked like I was starving. Grabbing the nearest knife and fork, I began to carefully slice pieces of pancake off.  
  
 The instant the food entered my mouth, I was in complete bliss. I didn’t get to have food like this very often, not decorated as fancy as this that is. The only place I’ve ever actually had pancakes like this is at a breakfast restaurant.  
  
 I looked over at the others, only to realize that both of them were staring at me expectantly.  
  
 “Uh… Sorry, did you say something…?” I asked uncertainly. I must have been so absorbed in my food that I didn’t even notice someone was probably trying to start a conversation with me.  
  
 “Oh, don’t worry about it! I was just asking if you had any trouble last night. Ya’know, since this is probably a big change from where you were staying before…” Yuffie laughed nervously.  
  
 I shook my head, “Oh, not at all. It was fine. I was really comfortable, actually. I’m only trying to get used to being around so many… expensive things.” Which was true, except that I left out the part that I had trouble falling asleep because of the thought of Yukio.  
  
 The black haired girl nodded in understanding.  
  
 “Yeah, it takes some getting used to living in a place like this, but we figured that this place was as good as any for a hideout. I mean, even though this is a mansion, it’s pretty well fortified.”  
  
 Hearing her say this just rose further questions in my mind. Just why do they need a hideout? Because of Yukio? And why did it need to be so well protected? Did they think Yukio was going to attack?  
  
 I found it hard to really understand the situation, and I was secretly hoping someone would tell me what exactly was going on-  
  
 But before I had a chance to openly ask one of these questions, something interrupted.  
  
 A loud _slam_ echoed throughout the room, and we all turned to each other with surprised looks.  
  
 Quickly, Yuffie and Vincent nodded to each other, then hastily got out of their chairs and ran out of the room. Without thinking, I got up myself and hurried after them, leaving my pancake breakfast unfinished on the table.  
  
 Running, I caught sight of the two and did my best to catch up, all the while having an intense feeling of dread filling up the pit of my stomach. Whatever that noise was just now, I had a feeling I wouldn’t like what I saw.  
  
 We ran down the long carpeted hallway until it opened up into the entrance way, where Rin was standing in front of the double door, only-  
  
 I realized right away that something was wrong.  
  
 Rin was having a hard time staying upright, his clothes looking severely disheveled and he was leaning on a nearby end table with a vase of white roses, panting slowly, heavily.  
  
 “Rin!” Yuffie shouted, immediately running over to him.  
  
 His eyes were half closed, and as he tried to let go of the table to try to support himself, his body fell forward, landing on the ground with a hollow ‘thud’.  
  
 Seeing him collapse made me run to his side as well, as Yuffie knelt down beside him, before letting out a gasp.  
  
 “Oh God… Vincent! Help me find the medical supplies! (Y/N), stay with Rin!”  
  
 Yuffie hurried out of the room, Vincent not far behind her.  
  
 I went to Rin's side, and it didn’t take me long to see why Yuffie sounded so frantic.  
  
 Many wounds covered Rin’s back. One or two long slices, like claw marks, were cut into him from his shoulder to his lower back diagonally, and blood dripped out of the cuts slowly. However, the wounds that were the most concerning to me were…  
  
 …The bullet holes. Nine of them. They were all over his back, bleeding profusely and quickly. I placed my fingers on a bullet wound without thinking, and I heard a grunt and felt Rin flinch under me, which made me instantly pull my hand away, sorry that I had ever touched it.  
  
 “Rin…” I whispered, and for some reason, I found my voice cracking.  
  
“What happened to you? Who did this?” I couldn’t help but let the questions tumble out of my mouth.  
  
 “..ooh..” I heard him mutter.  
  
“What…?” I leaned closer to his face, trying to hear him better.  
  
 I almost jumped when Rin suddenly grabbed the back of my neck, struggling to bring my face closer to his. Even his face, upon closer inspection, hadn’t been treated too kindly. His cheek was horribly bruised and his bottom lip was split and bleeding. Rin leaned in, not to my face, but toward my ear, breathing in shakily before whispering…  
   
_“Yukio… It…was… Yuu…kii..ooo….”_  
   
 And then he collapsed, leaving me alone, with tears falling down my cheeks once again.  
 

~


	13. Chapter 13

 

I’ve devolved into a shaking, blubbering mess, once again.  
   
 Yukio has hurt someone because of me, once again.  
   
  _Why… Why does this keep happening…? What did I do? I…_  
   
_I…_  
   
 My mind only continued to fumble as I cradled Rin’s unconscious body close to my chest, crying and whispering apologetically because I knew that if it wasn’t for me, my classmates wouldn’t be dead; if it wasn’t for me, Rin would be…  
   
 “Alright! We’ve got everything we need!” Yuffie shouted as she carefully balanced different bottles and rolls of gauze, while Vincent held towels, water and a pair of tweezers.  
   
 I shuddered as I realized that the tweezers were meant for the bullets.  
   
 “Vince, bring those towels over here, I’ll handle the disinfectant and the bandaging, but I’m gonna need you to do the plucking.”  
   
 The quiet man nodded, bending down beside Rin and placing the fluffy white towels near him. The tweezers were still in his hand, and Vincent began to cautiously, but quickly, remove Rin’s upper half of his outfit.  
   
 I moved away slightly, knowing I would only be in the way if I just hovered there. As the dress shirt of Rin’s uniform was rolling up, it became clear just how much of a number Yukio did on him.  
   
 Though I had only counted nine, the bullet holes in his flesh seemed to be spread out _everywhere._  
   
 They seemed to hit both shoulder blades, the spinal cord, lower back… how had he managed to walk back here? Shouldn’t he be immobilized?  
  
 Not to mention the amount of blood he must have lost… even now, staring at his back I can see crimson colored blood dripping down the side of his rear, making soft _plop_ noises as the drops fell.  
   
 The sight was tempting me to cringe, like I had felt like doing stumbling upon that horrendous pile of disfigured corpses.  
   
 My nose wrinkled at the thought.  
   
 It wasn’t long until Vincent began his “treatment”. I thought that Rin would stay unconscious during the time the bullets were being removed, had _hoped_ that he would remain unconscious, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. As soon as the red eyed man began to bury the tweezers into the flesh to retrieve one of the bullets, Rin started yelping, and screaming in pain. I winced every time his voice would grow louder, the pain he felt was probably so great that he couldn’t even control his own voice.  
   
 I wished that there was something I could do to help him, to stop his suffering, but I was completely powerless, and ultimately useless at that moment.  
   
 Rin’s screams, Vincent’s plucking out the bullets; it all seemed to go on forever, and for a while, I really thought it was never going to end. But, just when I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, Vincent’s tweezers pulled out another bullet, adding it to the pile, before stopping.  
   
 Was it over?  
   
 My thoughts were confirmed when the cloaked man dipped part of a towel in the warm water he brought with him, before dabbing it on Rin’s wounds.  
  
 I found myself sighing in relief- Rin’s suffering had calmed down considerably, and I could feel my seemingly lost sanity slowly coming back. He was onto the cleaning process now, so the worst part was over.  
   
 After Valentine had put water on all of his cuts and bullet holes, he took another towel, unfolding it a bit before pressing it against Rin’s backside. He was trying to stop him from bleeding out any further, since a lot of blood was probably lost during the removal.  Thirty seconds passed before Vincent finally removed the now red stained towel, putting it aside as he moved away and let Yuffie take over, to which she proceeded by taking the bottle of disinfectant, pouring a bit on the only fresh towel left and lightly touching Rin’s wounds with it. Rin immediately grunted in pain, though the female did not slow down nor was she deterred.  
   
 When his injuries were cleaned, she motioned to Vincent to help Rin sit up, so the bandaging would be easier. Grabbing Rin and propping him up into as much of a seated position as he could, Yuffie grabbed the gauze and carefully began wrapping it around the male’s exposed torso. I felt a little better when I couldn’t see the gashes or the holes anymore, even though I knew they were just hidden beneath the material.  
   
 Yuffie sighed, pulling away from Rin.  
   
 “Okay, we’re gonna need to put him in a bed or something. I’m gonna need help carrying him…” Yuffie trailed off, looking at the two of us expectantly.  
   
 It was quiet for a moment, until Vincent’s quiet voice broke the silence, “I’ll help…”  
   
 “Great- now what about you, (Y/N)? Do you wanna come with us?”  
  
 I shook my head slowly.  
   
“No, I… I can wait…” I spoke quietly.  
   
 Yuffie nodded, her face showing sympathy, before she patted me on the back and lifted up Rin, with the help of Vincent, before they carried him out of the room, leaving me to my own devices.  
   
 My face was downcast, expression unreadable. I couldn't help but want to try and sort out my own thoughts.  
   
_Yukio… How could you do this to your own brother…?_  
   
 My hands curled into tight fists at my sides.  
   
 It was one thing to kill a bunch of bullies that you barely know, but to wound his brother to such an extent, that it was clear he meant to kill him? His very own brother, who was probably with him since birth? His very own _twin_ , no less. Rin had probably been with Yukio through everything, so why, _why_ , did he try to kill him?  
   
 I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.  
   
 “I don’t know why I would be the one to drive you to such things, Yukio, nor do I know how your mind really seems to work…” I paused, choosing the right words in my mind.  
   
 “…But I do know one thing…”  
  
 “…I’m not sure how, but I _will_ find a way to help you; one way, or another.”  
   
 

 

***

   
  
_Elsewhere_  
   
  
_This isn’t good. It seems like (Y/N)-chan has gotten herself involved with my brother and the others…_  
  
 His ability to stay calm in stressful situations was certainly helping at the moment, because otherwise, he might have been seething with uncontrollable rage at the thought of anyone but him trying to get close to his girlfriend.  
   
 “Ah, but that’s fine. After all, (Y/N)-chan would never betray me. Those people, on the other hand…” he trailed off, pushing up his glasses absentmindedly.  
   
 He chuckled slightly, leaning over his desk and leering at the pile of exorcist guns at his disposal.  
 

 

“I don’t think I can let them get away with trying to keep her away from me.” A smile made its way to his lips, one that was underlined with dark promise, yet to be fulfilled.

 ~


	14. Chapter 14

   _The moment (Y/N) ran out of their home was a moment where Yukio had, for the second time, lost his self-control._

 

***

  
*Third Person POV*

 

                                                    
 His love coming over that day had been a bit of a surprise- a bit of disappointment in himself seated in his chest, as he had hoped to at least clean up the bodies before she could see them whenever she next decided to visit, but his incompetence had led her to become uncomfortable, which was in his eyes, completely unacceptable; after all, as her lover, he was supposed to be her pillar of comfort, so how could he fail so hard at such an essential part of the job?  
   
 The young exorcist sighed, placing all of the necessary equipment he would need in order to properly execute his next plan of action, into his black suit case. Normally, it wouldn’t be very easy to take down such skilled fighters like the ninja girl, Valentine, or his demon brother all at once, however, since one of them is now currently out of commission…  
   
_It makes my job that much simpler,_ He thought with a grin.  
   
 Yukio needed to make up for his past little errors by thinking carefully about what he was going to do next, and to prepare several back-up plans in the event that his first plan were to somehow prove insufficient.  
   
 His grin turned into a frown at the thought of his mistake. (Y/N) was not supposed to be exposed to the dirty work he had to do behind the scenes, in order for her to remain happy. He’d made a terrible blunder by letting her see the filth he’d taken care of, if he’d disposed of them sooner, she wouldn’t have become frightened and run off.  
   
 Now he had to go and pursue her and take her back from the nasty trash that had the nerve to put their grubby hands on her…  
   
 He ground his teeth slightly.  
   
 He wouldn’t forgive himself for it; he knew that. There was one thing, however, that Yukio knew for certain.  
   
 He would not stand idly by while those disgusting _cretins_ kept her in their company. They had basically kidnapped her for Gods’ sake!  
   
 “(Y/N)-chan… really, you have nothing to worry about. I will save you from those lowly pests, just you wait. I’m coming for you.” He whispered to himself, but he had a feeling that his words had somehow reached the one they were directed at.  
   
 After all…  
   
 It wouldn’t be long now.  
   
 With Rin unable to fight, he would only have to take down two of them. He was certain he could take on that Yuffie girl- she only had ninja weapons, and no powers to speak of. Valentine, on the other hand… that fight would require a decent amount of strategy, something that Yukio was exceptionally good at. As long as he thought it through, he should be able to pull it off. And after that…  
   
 A dreamy look washed over Yukio’s face, as well as a deep red blush.  
   
 When he found (Y/N), he would bring her into his arms, deliver a sweet kiss upon her lips… She might struggle a bit at first, a side effect of the brainwash-inducing ways of the others who had taken her, but he had already prepared himself for that.  
   
 He would promise to always be by her side from that moment onward, and he would carry her back to their home together; not back to that rickety old building he’d lived in, but to a _real_ home.  
   
 Rin had been so foolish to try and convince him that what he was doing was “wrong”. Foolish enough to think that he would listen to him for a second when he told him that he should stop pursuing her, that he should just ‘let it go’. The words had caused Yukio to become so enraged that he’d whipped out his twin pistols within seconds, and began shooting at him with everything he could. Rin, being the half demon that he was, dodged well for a while, until Yukio had made his way behind him and shot the silver bullets into his back.  
   
 He’d been so caught off guard that he couldn’t react in time, Yukio on the other hand did not hesitate for even a moment as he continuously unloaded bullets unto him. It didn’t take long for Rin to finally topple over, his demon flesh responding to the bullets designed specifically for his kind quite negatively.  
   
 The younger brother didn’t know whether Rin would survive or not from how he had twisted in agony on the ground, but frankly, he couldn’t have cared less. Of course, it wasn’t always like this.  
   
There was a time that he _did_ care about Rin’s well-being. But that seemed so long ago now, like a distant memory that was slowly fading away…  
   
 Yukio wouldn’t have had to hurt him if he had just minded his own business, had learned to not stick his nose into every little thing when it didn’t concern him.  
   
  _Well Rin, I can’t say I feel regret about what happened to you. It was your fault for trying to get in my way when all I want is to live peacefully with (Y/N)-chan…_  
  
 In reality, Yukio should have seen it coming that Rin, of all people, would have been one to try to interfere. After all, he did end up coming with him when he entered this world through that gateway meant for Gehenna. However, it didn’t actually end upleading to Gehenna, but to another universe _entirely_ different.  
   
 Where Rin had ended up, he couldn’t say, because he was alone when he arrived on the other side. What had gone wrong to end up here, was something that Yukio couldn’t quite figure out.  
   
 Not only did the Gehenna gate lead to this other world, it somehow must have also opened up portals in another universe as well, seeing as those Final Fantasy characters ended up in this version of Earth too.  
   
 It was strange, at first, trying to get used to this version of Japan. Strange that there was no True Cross Academy, strange that it was so different from the world he knew, and yet also kind of the same. Strange that, no matter where he looked, he could never see a demon in sight.  
   
 His original idea for trying to open the gate had actually been to try and escape the Vatican, as they had started to become suspicious that he had been the one to kill Shiemi. Of course, they were completely right to think so, which is why Yukio knew it was necessary to try and hide himself somewhere until they thought that he was either dead, or had left the country. When everything had blown over, he would’ve come back- perhaps changed his identity.  
   
 Well, this is the story he had told Rin during their little reunion anyway. The truth of the matter was, Yukio didn’t try to open a portal to the world of demons to _escape_.  
   
 No, the real plan had been far more simple.  
  
 Yukio had wanted to go to Gehenna to die.  
   
 While death by demons, the things his job required him to eliminate as an exorcist, might not have been the greatest way to die, he still considered it a far better way than rotting away in the Vatican prison for the rest of his life. Though that wasn’t his only motivation either…  
   
 Yukio’s hope for the future, of a happy, peaceful life, had vanished long ago. There were several things that led to this- a series of events that quickly just snowballed, and eventually spiraled out of control.  
   
 The death of their father had been the first. Even if Shiro wasn’t his real father, he had still taken care of him, had loved and looked out for him as if he really was his father, unlike his biological father, Satan.  
   
 And then Satan had to go and kill Shiro by possessing him, only because he could never do so before since Shiro had such a strong, unwavering willpower. It was shortly after that when Yukio had felt himself falling into depression, something that quickly grew worse as the days went by.  
  
 Rin had tried to help him, but only ultimately made him feel worse. He didn't want to be comforted by the person he deemed most responsible for their father's death.  
   
 It eventually grew to a point where Yukio would just stay in his room when he could, he barely spoke and even when he did it was in a quiet, empty voice. His students were concerned by how lifeless he acted, and Shiemi had taken notice of his strange behavior as well. When Rin and Yukio had saved Shiemi from the low level demon in her garden, she began trying to hang out with the two of them.  
   
 Yukio had known Shiemi long before Rin had, and he remembered how shy she had been when they first met. She had even made the decision to join True Cross Academy’s exorcist program, something that Yukio was a bit surprised by.  
  
 Seeing his almost always down mood, Shiemi had made a conscious effort to talk to Yukio frequently, to try to cheer him up. In the beginning, it did very little to effect his gloomy attitude. But slowly, very slowly, Yukio had found himself starting to… smile a bit more. He even managed to hold conversations without that low, mechanical tone that he had previously used.  
   
 For once, he realized that he was really starting to feel almost… happy again.  
   
 This had went on for several months, Shiemi constantly talking and hanging out with him and Rin, and Yukio, slowly beginning to feel like his old self once more. Though, there was something that continued to confuse him.  
   
 How had Shiemi managed to make him feel better? Sure she had made quite an effort to help him, but she wasn't the only one to try.  
   
 Was it maybe… because she was so sweet? Because she was so nice and… cute?  
   
 The thought had made him blush a little. Yukio wasn’t very well versed in matters of the heart, but he knew he was starting to realize something concerning his new found happiness.  
   
 It didn’t take him too long to realize it was because he had fallen in love with Shiemi. Throughout all of that time spent with each other, he had succeeded in becoming infatuated. And at this discovery, he was nervous, but he was also… extremely happy. In fact, he couldn’t wait to confess his feelings to the girl. And so he did.  
   
 ...Only to be crushed almost instantly when she told him that she had fallen in love with Rin. Even worse yet, they had even began dating earlier that day. What happened next, was something even Yukio couldn’t fully recall.  
  
 Though what he could remember is that what she had said, was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  
   
 He couldn’t stand the thought of the source of his happiness, his first love, being with someone else. Especially not his own brother.  
   
 Yukio found that he couldn’t even control himself as he grabbed Shiemi by the throat, hearing her gasps and wheezes as she struggled for breath, only for her weak effort to be all in vain as he let his fingers crush her small windpipe.  
   
 As he let her body drop to the floor with a thud, her eyes had remained open and wide with fear and betrayal. Yukio had slowly come to his senses somewhat, but by then, his mind just felt broken.  
   
  _“I’m sorry… Shiemi-san…”_  
   
_“But I didn’t want to look at you being with Rin, when I loved you as well…”_  
   
_“I should have known it was too good to be true, and yet I…”_  
   
 It was all over for him then. The moment Shiemi spoke those words, he felt it in his heart. There would be no going back from this.  
   
 And yet, here he was now, in another world.  
   
 Still alive.  
   
 And it was all thanks to her; (Y/N) (L/N).  
   
_My precious (Y/N)-chan… you saved me, you know? I never thought that I could come back from that utter devastation… But you, you were different. You accepted me, had even loved me back, and from that moment when you told me how you felt, to the second of us having our first kiss, I knew that…_  
   
 “I knew that, from that moment on, I could never let you go.”

~


	15. Chapter 15

 

  “Rin is awake.”  
   
 Yuffie’s words lifted a heavy weight off of my shoulders, one that I wasn’t even aware existed.  
   
 Rin, who was attacked and almost killed by his own brother, stayed deep in unconsciousness for about two days. During that time, I couldn’t help but begin to feel anxious.  
   
 Would he be okay?  
   
What would happen if Rin didn’t make it?  
   
…Did Yukio even feel guilty about what he did?  
   
 I thought what I was going through had been the worst, but my situation was nothing compared to the suffering Rin had to go through.  
   
 Vincent said he had a good chance of surviving since the bullets were removed, but why? Rin wasn’t super human or anything, so how could he be so sure of him even pulling through?  
   
 Another feeling of something missing nagged at the back of my mind, that feeling that something was… off.  
   
 The only question was ‘what’. No doubt, whatever it was, most definitely tied in with whatever story they had yet to tell me, the whole reason why they’re even here in the first place. The grand reveal had been put off until further notice- no doubt they thought it would be better to wait until Rin was well enough to contribute.  
   
  _So much has happened in only a few days…_  
   
 It was almost hard to believe that only a couple short days ago, I was just a normal high school student, living my ordinary and depressing life with a boyfriend who really cared for me. At least, I thought he did.  
   
 My head shook aggressively.  
   
  _No, that’s not right. He’s always cared about me, ever since we met. Yukio has only ever done what he thought was best for me, and while his actions were reckless in the end, he was still only acting to protect me; just like he always did…_  
   
“Dammit… I’ll find a way to get through to you Yukio, I promise.” I muttered as I slowly walked to the room that Rin was staying in.  
   
 Though I couldn’t exactly forgive Yukio for hurting his own brother, I wasn’t going to hold it against him either. He clearly wasn’t in his right mind at that moment, though that’s not to say that that would make it right regardless.  
   
 I stood in front of the tall brown door, my fist in a knocking position. Yuffie said that he was awake now and well enough to talk. I was going to ask exactly what happened during his encounter with Yukio. Maybe I could also get the story of how they got here as well…  
   
 My hand connected with the wooden surface gently but firmly, so Rin could hear it. Silence flooded the hallway for a moment, before a soft, ‘come on in’ echoed from the other side. I twisted the knob, slipping into the room quickly and closing the door behind me quietly.  
   
 The door closed with a barely audible ‘click’ as I approached the bed, Rin was propped up in bed by a stack of pillows, and he slowly turned his head to see who his visitor was. A huge smile broke out onto his face when seeing me, I couldn’t help but smile back.  
   
 “Hey (Y/N)! What’s up? Getting used to the house yet?” He asked, a big goofy grin on his face the whole time.  
   
 I laughed slightly, shaking my head. There was something about Rin that made me feel better when talking to him, though I wasn’t sure what it was. Because he was smiling the whole time? Because of the positive tone he was using? Whatever it was, I instantly felt calmer than I had before.  
   
 Maybe he just had that effect on people.  
   
 A chuckle made its way to my lips, “You mean mansion? It’s kinda hard to get used to it when I’ve only been here for about three days.”  
   
 “Ah, yeah that’s true.” He laughed as well, though it was more sheepish than anything.  
   
 “So what brings you to my room? You must have something you want to ask, right?” His blue eyes locked onto me curiously, and I was back to feeling that uncomfortableness again.  
   
 I scratched my arm carelessly. “Well, um, I wanted to know what… what happened between you and Yukio, and if possible, you could tell me why there are fictional characters walking around in real life.”  
   
 The grin Rin had worn was immediately wiped from his face. A sigh left his mouth, and his face turned away from me.  
   
 “I figured that’s what this was about.” Rin didn’t say anything else for a moment, before continuing in a lowered voice, “I accidently pissed him off.”  
   
 I pondered to myself on how he could have done that. Yukio was quite difficult to anger in my experience. I tried to taunt him into getting mad at me before, but he would only laugh softly and smile at me- like nothing I could do would anger him.  
   
  It made me think that he was the same with everybody; a kind, calm, and caring individual. But I guess he was different when it came to other people.  
   
 “Where should I even begin…?” Rin mumbled to himself, a gloomy expression on his face.  
   
 “It happened… how many months now? Ah, I can’t remember. It’s not really that important anyway… Remember how I told you how depressed Yukio was?”  
   
 I nodded, “Yeah, I remember you mentioning before. Why?”  
   
 Rin’s bangs shadowed his eyes as he spoke. “It was because of Yukio’s depression that this all started. Why Final Fantasy characters are running around, why _we’re_ …” He suddenly went silent.  
   
 I waited for him to continue, but it didn’t seem like it was going to happen.  
   
 “Er, Rin? Is something wrong?” The hesitation in my voice was obvious.  
   
 The boys’ head shot up, eyes instantly locking on my own, a concentrated look on his face.  
   
 “Tell me,” he asked in a serious voice, “Have you ever watched an anime called, “Blue Exorcist”?”  
   
 The name that left his lips threw me into a state of confusion. That name… I feel like I’ve heard it before.  
 “That name… sounds familiar…” I muttered slowly, trying to remember where I’d seen or heard it.  
   
 Rin sighed, turning his head away from me once again and staring straight at the wall in front of him.  
   
 “That figures. Apparently, ever since we left, people have pretty much forgotten about its existence—Yukio informed me of that when we fought, said he’d done some research when we first got here and found out that we come from an anime called that. But, strangely enough, as time went by, all of the information about ‘Blue Exorcist’, even the episodes that you could easily access online, suddenly just disappeared without a trace- and no one seems to really remember the show. I think you’re the closest that I’ve talked to so far, the one closest to remembering…”  
   
 My eyes widened.  
   
 Was… was that why?  
   
 Was this the reason why Yuki… seemed so familiar…?  
   
 …Because he came from an anime that I watched? One that I’ve completely forgot about?!  
   
 “Why… why did everyone forget…?” My lips trembled slightly. This all just seemed so bizarre, but…  
   
 I knew he wasn’t lying. This is why Yukio- even Rin, seemed so familiar. But even though that answered one of my questions, it in turn, raise a few more. For example; if Rin and Yukio were from an anime, why had everyone forgotten about them, but hadn't forgotten about Yuffie and Vincent?  
   
 Rin looked saddened as he shrugged.  
   
 “I don’t know a definite answer, but Yukio did tell me his theory. He thinks that, ever since we came to this world from the Gehenna gate, it somehow must have… changed something—In reality, I don’t think we were ever supposed to come to this world, neither were Vincent and Yuffie. Unfortunately, they got sucked into a portal meant for Gehenna as it had suddenly popped up, and so they ended up here as well. I don't think they were forgotten about though... the Final Fantasy franchise is something that most people know about, so that might have something to do with it.”

 Something told me that was the most I would get from that matter. But still, regarding everything else...  
   
 “Gehenna gate…” I wondered aloud. “What is Gehenna? The portal to the afterlife?”  
   
 Rin chuckled, but it was humorless. “Heh... Close. But it’s actually what this world would call ‘hell’. It’s a world full of demons, and worst of all, _Satan_.” He said the last part with gritted teeth, and I automatically knew he had a bone to pick with him. After all, if they both came from an anime, it wouldn’t be weird for Satan to be an antagonist, especially in an anime with the word ‘exorcist’ in the title.  
   
 But what Rin said left me at even more of a loss. If Gehenna was hell, and Gehenna gate was the portal to hell, then… Why would someone open it? Was it intentional?  
   
 “Rin, I’m sorry for asking so many questions, but, why would someone even open the gate in the first place if it leads to hell? Isn’t that dangerous?”  
   
 He nodded, “It’s fine. You deserve to know the whole truth, after all… Yeah, it is dangerous, which is why I still don’t really get why Yukio wanted to go there to hide from the Vatican. He tried to open the gate to escape, tried to get away from punishment for killing… Shiemi…” Rins’ sapphire eyes filled with tears, and my heart started aching at the sight.  
   
_Shiemi… that’s the girl that Rin mentioned when we met. Yukio killed her… But why? Why would he kill her? Rin must have really cared about her to get choked up every time he mentions her name. So that must mean she was Rins’…_  
   
 Silence enveloped us. No one spoke a word for several minutes, minutes that seemed almost like hours. I looked at Rin, the way his eyes shone with unshed tears, and it became apparent that he was trying really hard not to cry.  
   
 I didn’t want to ask Rin any more questions, but I knew I had to. There was one more thing I _needed_ to know.  
   
 “…Rin, if you could, could you please tell me why… why did Yukio kill Shiemi?” I asked this softly, trying not to provoke or aggravate him.  
   
 The drops finally fell from his eyes, spilling onto his cheeks as he ground his teeth painfully.  
   
 “ _It was because he was **jealous**_.”

~


	16. Chapter 16

 

 _It makes sense now…_  
   
 Rin made his best effort to tell me everything he knew about the situation. Apparently, Rin and Shiemi had begun dating the day that she was killed. He told me that he stumbled upon Yukio standing over Shiemi’s lifeless body because he was on his way to give his girlfriend some flowers he’d bought. His eyes were glassy, and betrayed no feelings whatsoever.  
   
 It automatically made me think of when I walked in to see Yukio standing in the middle of all of those high school carcasses, how his eyes had looked…  
   
 I remember feeling so terrified while staring at them. How does one get such a lifeless look in their eyes? It was something I still shivered to think about.  
  
 But I couldn't help being curious about everyone's means of transportation into this world. Rin had followed Yukio as he went to a secluded area to perform the ritual, and confronted him just when he was about to step into it. Yukio had tried to escape, but Rin had ran over to him, and managed to grab a hold of his hand before he could sink far enough. From there, it was a tug of war, a contest of arguing back and forth and limbs being pulled this way and that, until eventually Rin fell in, ending with Yukio and Rin going together.  
  
 When he got out on the other side, there was no sign of Yukio, Rin had told me. He must have been transported somewhere else. The two from Final Fantasy came out of a portal a few days later when Rin was walking around in a forest. He took his time explaining everything to make sure I got every detail. While he told me all of what happened, though, I...  
   
 I couldn’t help but feel so sorry for Rin. The thought of having someone I’d loved so dearly, to suddenly be taken away from me- just like that, never being able to speak to them again, to tell them you loved them…  
   
  _Christ… I shouldn’t be thinking about this right now, I should be on high alert, just in case…_  
   
 After my talk with Rin, Yuffie and Vincent had informed me to stay cautious; they had no idea when Yukio would try anything, so we had to be prepared to fight at a moments’ notice. Well, _they’d_ fight, I was just supposed to find a place to hide or something.  
   
 Honestly, the thought kind of pissed me off. I know I couldn’t really fight, at least, not as good as all of the super humans I’m with, and the only advantage over Yukio I would have is the fact that he wouldn’t want to hurt me, but not being able to help _at all_ was driving me insane.  
   
 When Yukio hospitalized Rin, it threw a huge wrench in their plans, so now Vince and Yuffie were trying to think of a plan without Rin involved, making us more vulnerable than ever—our only advantages being me, and the building being well secured.    
  
 In the meantime, talking to Yuffie and Vincent didn't really help with trying to figure out what happened to the Gehenna gate to transport everyone here, but I suppose that figuring that part out could wait. After all, getting them back was more important, and before that we had to figure out how to deal with Yukio...  
   
 I think the first plan involved me being a distraction, and while at first I was reluctant, I know realize that I would feel better about that then just running away.  
   
 But every time I tried to argue, I was firmly reminded that we were now at a bit of a disadvantage now that Rin couldn’t fight, and his powers as a demon would have definitely boosted our strength.  
   
  _Demon… that’s right…_  
   
 Another thing that Rin had told me was an explanation for how quickly he was recovering from being shot so many times, when any normal person would have died. The explanation was simple, actually. So simple that it could be summed up with three words; Rin wasn’t human. Well, not fully anyway. He was half demon, half human, and because of this, he had many demonic abilities. All of which could have been used to help win against a high ranked exorcist like Yukio.  
   
 Yukio must have realized it too, or else I don’t think he would have injured Rin as bad as he did. That was what I was hoping, anyway. There would always be that part of me that would want to justify every bad thing that Yukio did, simply because my love for him blinded me in a way, that love that I thought would vanish when I found out he’d done such horrible things, only turned into pity and determination to get him the help he needs, because I felt desperate. Desperate to hold onto the image of a sane Yukio in my mind, in hopes that maybe, if he got the right help he needs, he would go back to being his normal self again.  
   
 It was stupid of me to ever think like that, I know, but I just couldn’t stop myself. I was probably deluded, but I wanted to believe that he could be saved from himself. And, since Rin wasn’t capable of getting up, perhaps I was the only one who could do it now.  
   
  _I’ll do it, Yukio. I’ll save you. I swear I will. I’ll save you, I’ll save you… Just come back to me, please. I miss you. I miss the way we would hang out, I miss the way you would smile at me. God, why did it have to turn out this way? Is the universe taunting me?_  
   
 My eyes started to feel warm, so I wiped at them immediately. I couldn’t cry right now. I had to be strong. For what, I didn’t know, but I knew that in situations like this, it was imperative to keep your emotions in check.  
   
 I looked away from the ground, my gaze flitted over to the large window instead. The sun was starting to set, a mix of orange, red, pink and purple filled the sky in a flurry of different hues. Night was soon approaching, which meant that Yuffie and Vincent would have to take turns keeping watch.  
   
 It was decided that everyone needed to be extra careful from now on now that Rin was down, so the two of them would keep watch while I would sleep in here. I offered to help, but my offer was turned down almost instantly, they reasoned that if Yukio DID end up showing up, he could just keep me quiet if I tried to yell for help and just kidnap me then and there, which I knew they were right, so I decided not to argue with them.  
   
 I plopped myself back onto the extravagant canopy bed with a sigh, my arms folded behind my head.  
   
 This was all so strange. If I hadn’t met Yukio, none of this would have ever happened, but can I really say that I regret meeting him? Back when he wasn’t acting all crazy, he was the nicest boy I’d ever met. Protecting me from the bullies, helping me with my studies, comforting me during my breakdowns, really, he was the best boyfriend anyone could ask for.  
  
 Actually, even when he started acting crazy, he still seemed almost the same. I was too terrified by all the death and blood to really notice it that much, but when I think back, Yukio pretty much acted the same as he always did. His words became a bit more… possessive, but he was still the same Yukio.  
   
 Thinking about this made me more exhausted than I thought. My eyelids were threatening to close multiple times, and eventually, I let them. I wouldn’t have been able to fight off sleep for long. As I laid on the silky covers of the bed, as my mind began to drift away into unconsciousness, one last troubling thought entered my mind.  
   
  _Was I the only thing keeping him sane?_

~


	17. Chapter 7.5 ~Valentine's Day~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, it's nice to look back on all of the good times you had with your significant other. Like a certain Valentine's Day misunderstanding...

 

Chocolates.

_Chocolates._

_Chocolates._

  _Everywhere I look today, girls are getting chocolates from guys, guys are getting chocolates from girls, people are giving each other flowers... Geez, this all seems like a bit much for one day._

 But, I suppose that's to be somewhat expected on the one day of the year that celebrates couples and being in a relationship. Yup, that's right-- Valentine's Day was here, and I really couldn't have cared less.

 Now, that's not to say I hated the special day or anything, and I wasn't one of those bitter singles who just sat around all day eating ice cream and crying their eyes out because they were lonely on the one day that it mattered most; I just didn't see the big deal about the whole thing. It was still just any other day of the week, it just so happened to be a day that was a bit more exciting to some people.

Not only that, but I couldn't help but find it a bit annoying too. Everyone acted like Valentine's Day was some sort of popularity contest, guys and girls making bets with their friends on who would get the most chocolates, or they would just brag to other people about how many people liked them by all the gifts they received.

 How pointless.

 Every Valentine's Day was pretty much the same for me, but I couldn't help but acknowledge the feeling that this one was going to be a bit different. I mean, I did have Yu-

 "Ah, Yuki! There you are!" I shouted from across the hall as I advanced towards him. His back was turned to me, but his head turned to my direction after hearing my voice, to which his face quickly paled and his head snapped back towards his open locker, his hands frantically shoving something into it before slamming it closed.

 Yukio turned towards me, a sunny smile on his face as he spoke, "Hey (Y/N)-chan! S-Sorry, I forgot the exact time we were gonna meet up. The cafe up town, right?"

 My eyebrow rose. Yukio usually didn't stutter like this unless he was nervous about something, but, what could he be nervous about? We were just gonna hang out like we always do, and we weren't doing anything new or crazy. Maybe he was just nervous about hanging out now that we were an actual couple? That didn't seem right either.

_Wait... It couldn't be that... he has something to hide?_

 My mind blanched at the thought. N...no... That couldn't be it, because... because we promised we'd be honest with each other shortly after we became friends. But, still...

 "Yeah, it's just up the street, remember? And you don't need to apologize, it's fine." I smiled back, but on the inside I could feel my suspicion growing.

 I was sure that Yukio would never hide anything from me unless he had good reason to, but I guess anything's possible. One thing was for sure though...

 "You forgive me so easily, (Y/N)-chan... You better be careful, or I'm afraid that one of these days that I'll take advantage of you. Anyway, let's go!" He gently grabbed my hand in his and entwined our fingers.  
 

 ...I would find out whatever he's hiding from me, good reason or no.

  
***  
 

  
 "Oh God, the doughnuts here are always so good..." I said through a mouthful of a chocolate covered doughnut with sprinkles.

 My boyfriend chuckled beside me, "Well, I would think so. You did eat quite a lot of them..."

 I turned toward him with a fake offended look.

 "Geez, you really know how to make a girl feel good about pigging out", I pouted. He only laughed more.

 "I apologize (Y/N)-chan, but I wasn't trying to insult you. Actually, I think you look cute with your cheeks puffed out and a mouth full of food." He shot me a closed eyed smile and I could feel my face heat up at his words.

 Dammit, ever since we started going out, it's been impossible to control my blushing whenever he said or did something affectionate, and now he's being more forward than ever before. He didn't even blush when he said it! Hm, maybe I could get back at him if I came up with something embarrassing to him as well...

 I thought for a moment, before a wide smile stretched across my face. Heh, this would get him for sure.

 "You may think that my eating is cute, but that's nothing compared to how sexy you look wearing those black framed glasses, Yuki-chan~" I tried to hold up my innocent expression, but it immediately crumbled when I doubled over in laughter when I saw how red his face became and how he began spluttering incoherently.

_Mission successful,_ I thought with glee.

 "Heheh...Eh-hem, a-anyway, I think we should hurry back-- w-we don't want to be late, after all." He placed a white handkerchief back in his coat which he'd been previously using to wipe his forehead with, before holding hands with me once again.

 We talked the whole way back to school, laughing and teasing each other, and I was having so much fun that I almost forgot all about Yukios' strange behavior.

  _Almost_ _._

 It came back when we were on our way back to class. Yukio suddenly stopped as we were walking down the hall. His hand fell out of mine, and he turned to me with a small smile.  
   
 "(Y/N)-chan, please go back to class ahead of me. I promise I'll be there shortly, but right now I need to get something from my locker." He started walking in the direction of his locker when I caught his hand. He was acting somewhat conspicuously again, and I couldn't help but want to know what he was really up to.

 "Why don't we just go together? You said you'd be quick, right? I don't see the point in splitting up now." I eyed him carefully, seeing if he would react in a funny way.

 No such luck, however- Yukio was like an experienced poker player, his face carefully avoiding revealing too much emotion, but wasn't totally emotionless either, as he still had his kind smile lighting up his face.

 "I wouldn't want you getting into trouble because of me for being late, and like I said, I'll make it quick. You won't even notice I'm gone." With that, he easily slipped out of my grasp, and went down the school corridor at a brisk pace, the ends of his coat flying after him.

 I stood there for several more moments, before shaking my head, walking into the classroom.

 Class was in session for several minutes by the time Yukio arrived, walking down the aisle and sitting in the seat next to me, taking out his notebook and taking notes beside me. I turned back to my notes as well, writing everything down on the board as best as I could, but my focus was elsewhere. I just couldn't stop thinking about what Yukio had done when he told me to go on ahead.

  _This is driving me crazy. I should just stop worrying about it, it's probably nothing._ _In fact, it probably doesn't even concern me anyway._

 Though no matter how much my thoughts tried to reason with me, the prickling feeling that something wasn't as it should be just refused to fade. I was so distracted, I nearly jumped out of my chair when I felt a hand lay itself on top of mine. My head slowly turned to my left, to see Yukio looking at me a bit worriedly, before I smiled slightly to assure him I was fine.

 He leaned in slightly, and began whispering, "Can I copy your notes when we get to your house? I missed the first part, as I'm sure you already know..."

 I nodded distractedly; in reality, I had completely forgotten about him coming over. But, since he's coming over today, I guess it would be as good a time as any to find out why he was acting the way he was.

 So, I patiently waited until the school day was over to start my interrogation.

  
***

  
 Lucky for me, the rest of the day seemed to go by rather quickly, and before I knew it, we were on our way to my house. I knew that my mom wouldn't be home, since her job required her to go to various locations and that meant that she would be gone until night time, and my dad lived on the other side of town; my parents were divorced, so that's how things turned out, me living with my mother.

Oddly enough, it was mostly quiet during our walk, but it was that kind of comfortable silence I guess you could say. We went along as most couples do, holding hands, glancing at each other from time to time, stuff like that. But it just felt casual more than anything.

 I stopped in front of my door, pulling out my key faster than usual, and turning the knob and pushing open the door with an audible 'creek' as it swung all the way open.

 Before I could even attempt to set foot inside, Yuki grabbed my backpack from my shoulders and the key from the door before urging me forward. A laugh escaped my lips at his way of trying to be a gentleman, before going inside, Yukio following closely behind. He closed the door and we both looked at each other, grinning. I began running up the stairs, laughing as he struggled to catch up with me, before bursting through the door of my bedroom and flinging myself onto my puffy blankets. Yukio arrived seconds later, trying to catch his breath a bit, but he sounded considerably better than when we first met.

 "Go ahead and close the door Yuki~"

 The door closed softly, and Yukio made his way towards the bed, sitting on the end of it beside my feet.

 Before we talked about anything else, I had to fiercely remind myself to ask him about what he was doing earlier today. My throat cleared, and I sat up, looking at Yukio with a curious gaze.

 "So, Yuki, care to explain to me why you've been acting weird all day today?" I asked, my eyes boring into his.

 His light smile lowered a bit, and he began to look rather... uncomfortable. His hand tugged at his brown strands, and I think I even saw a drop of sweat roll down his face.

 "What do you mean, (Y/N)-chan? Have I been acting any different than I normally would?" He tried to sound surprised, but his barely noticeable sweating gave him away. He was hiding something alright.

 I scoffed, rolling my eyes, "Oh come on, I can literally see the beads of sweat rolling off of you. Now, what is it? Fess up, you promised me, you know... You and I promised we would be truthful towards each other. Remember that? Don't tell me you forgot or something..." My voice lowered a bit, and I felt myself actually getting upset. I didn't want to get stressed out over this, but finally confronting Yukio about it made me think about all of the possibilities.

 What if he wanted to break up with me? What if he was moving away, and was trying to hide his going away present until he felt like he could tell me? What... What if...

 Yukio's sudden low sigh brought me out of my panicked thoughts. He stared down at the floor for several moments, looking to be having an inner debate within himself, before finally, after a deep breath, he turned to me, locking my eyes with his.

 "(Y/N), would you please close your eyes for a moment and put out your hands? I'll tell you when to open them, it'll be quick, I promise."

 At first, I wanted to object, but then decided to play along. Of course, there was always that possibility that Yukio would hightail it while my eyes were closed, but I trusted him enough to not try to pull anything.

 Nothing happened for the first few seconds, until I heard a small bit of rustling, and I almost opened my eyes to see what was happening but I only stiffened when I felt something smooth placed in my palms.

 "You can open them now..." He breathed.

 My eyelids slowly rose, and I looked at my hands to see a heart shaped blue box, wrapped in a deep red ribbon with a bow on top. I looked at Yukio with a surprised expression, before he nodded, telling me to open it. I barely hesitated as I unwrapped the ribbon from the small box, placing it aside and lifting the cover. Inside the box sat a milk chocolate heart, delicious looking enough to make me salivate a little.

 "This... This is what you were hiding...?" I was in complete awe, and I didn't even know what to say. But I did start to feel a tremendous amount of guilt swirling around in the pit of my stomach from doubting his intentions. How could I ever think he was going to break up with me or something? I'm an idiot...

 "I know you said you didn't want to do anything special for today, but I couldn't help but make you this. I'm sorry for making you worry, (Y/N)-chan, I was just nervous about how I would give you this." He looked regretful, and it made me feel even more terrible.

 "No, please don't be sorry. If anyone should be apologizing right now, it should be me. I got all suspicious and thought you were trying to hide some big secret or something from me, but you were just trying to be a good boyfriend and I-" 

 Yukios' lips sealed over mine, making my words muffled and lost in his mouth. His eyes were half lidded as he moved the box off of my lap and began to crawl over me, keeping our lips together the whole time. I pressed my lips on his, trying to kiss back as best as I could. I probably wasn't the best kisser in the world, but hell if I didn't try.

 I was feeling light-headed when he finally pulled away, his face hovering inches above mine with a foggy look in his eyes.

 " There's... no need for you to apologize... either... (Y/N)-chan..." His breath fanned against my lips as he spoke, and the murkiness in his eyes never left.

 "Let's just forget about it... and try to enjoy our Valentine's Day, okay?"

 A smile crept onto his face as he said, "In fact, that chocolate might be too big to eat on your own... why don't we share~?"

 ~


	18. Chapter 18

 

It happened in the middle of the night. They had been keeping watch. We were all aware that something could happen at any time, we thought were ready— but we weren’t prepared.  
   
 We were nowhere near as prepared as he was.  
   
  _And so he came inside, guns blazing._  
 

 

***

  
_Third Person Point of View..._  
 

   
 They all thought they were so clever. They thought that their little fortress was impenetrable, that it was impossible to get in without being spotted. Oh, how wrong they were.  
   
  _A little research can go a long way…_  
  
 That’s correct. All Yukio had had to do was look up the blueprints to this mansion to see if there were any tunnels or secret passage ways. The plans for the building were easier to come by than he would have thought. The mansion was famous, apparently, and abandoned—well, abandoned to everyone who got curious and decided to research the place. Of course, that meant that no one knew about the three squatters living there, and no one bothered to check, either.  
   
 And why should they?  
   
 As far as they were concerned, these were haunted grounds, anyway.  
   
  _How foolish… the only ethereal beings this world has to deal with are a bunch of harmless ghosts. The demons are all in **my** universe._  
   
 The demon and satanic worshipers of this world were only wasting their time. This Satan wouldn’t heed their calling or respond to their sacrifices. He was different than his own father— that much was for sure.  
   
 At this, he shook his head.  
   
  _I don’t have any time to think about this; I must focus._  
   
 Moving his way to the back of the huge house, he carefully avoided rocks and tree roots, anything that he could potentially trip over. It was well past mid-night, the sky was cloudless and an impossibly dark blue, though the moon was full, and tiny lights from billions of old stars shone from a distance, making his vision none-too-worse for wear.  
   
 Yukio had decided against using a flashlight; it was much too risky and was far more likely to give away his location than to be of any use to him. No, better to test his own eyesight than to get caught by such an amateur mistake.  
   
 Once he was facing the backside of the manor, it was time to start his search. When he’d scanned the original design for the mansion, there was to be a hidden passage on the rear of the house, right about the center. Though, years later when people stopped living in it, it was closed off; though they didn’t close it off completely.  
   
 Yukio crept towards the wall, his hand carefully and slowly grazing over the surface. If he was right, then there was supposed to be a thin, or hollow spot somewhere. To test out his theory, he began gently knocking on the wood, searching for the entrance.  
   
Thud.  
   
Thud.  
   
… _Thud._  
   
  _That was it! Now, to pry it open…_  
   
 Since the wood was very thin in this area, it wouldn’t stand a chance against his crowbar. He began reaching into his briefcase, the lengthy steel object finding its way into his capable hands. It only took him about a second to plunge the bar into the wood covering, dragging it down and removing a part of it. Shortly thereafter he resorted to hacking away at it, piece by piece. A trickle of sweat rolled down his brow, and he had begun panting a little, but he did not wipe his face nor did he stop tearing the false wall down. He was determined to do this quickly. Another day without (Y/N) would be unbearable, and was ultimately out of the question. He could feel himself becoming more and more desperate with each passing minute, and he longed to have her in his loving embrace. That was the only fuel he needed. The thought of seeing her again, of holding her and kissing her.  
   
 The thought of making love to her…  
   
 Yukios’ cheeks flared in embarrassment from his thoughts, but quickly went back to his determined expression. They would have all the time in the world together when he had her again, and he would make sure… Make sure that she didn’t leave him alone again.  
   
 If she did, he didn’t think he could—  
   
 The last of the wood chipped away, and there, behind it, stood a tall, narrow archway that lead to a dirt paved tunnel. Without a moments’ hesitation, he maneuvered inside, minding his step and watching that his black briefcase didn’t catch on anything.  
   
 He trekked through the dark path at a slow, steady pace. The area was cold, and felt damp, and the humidity in the air was almost suffocating to his lungs, but he pressed on, unwavering, his mind only focused on her.  
   
  _So close now… I won’t be long, my love…_  
 

 

***

 

_Meanwhile, (Y/N)’s room…_  
   
_Second Person Point of View…_  
   
   
 “Uhhh…” You groaned, your eyes closed tightly, and your hands fisted the blankets around you in a tight grip.  
   
 “Yuu… Yukio… please, don’t kill them…” You whimpered, tossing your head back and forth as your eyes moved rapidly from side to side behind your eyelids, your unconscious mind lost in a horrible nightmare.  
   
  _In the dream, your frail body hunched in the corner, a nightgown the only clothing you had, sob after sob leaving you._  
  
_Yuffie, Vincent—they were dead. They were killed, and it was all your fault. You tried to stop him, tried to warn them, but nothing you did made any difference. Rin told you to run, but you, paralyzed numb by fear, could only try to hobble away, though you did not get very far before witnessing Rins' brutal demise as Yukio shot him down, only to start slicing him up with a scalpel he’d pulled out of his coat pocket. You couldn’t even save Rin. Yukio was too consumed in his own madness at this point, and there was nothing you could do to bring him out of it._  
  
_It didn’t take you long to notice you were covered in your friends’ blood._  
  
_When you realized the exit was blocked off, you could do nothing but crawl away from the insane boy, a malicious smile on his face as he cut Rin into many, many pieces._  
  
_You, not wanting to witness the torture of your new friend, closed your eyes and cried quietly, just wanting everything to end. After a while, you heard the ‘clank’ of the scalpel hitting the floor, and footfalls, getting closer, and closer to where you were curled up. Then, when the footsteps stopped right in front of you, there was silence._  
  
_Then there was the softness of fingers caressing your cheek, and you reluctantly opened your eyes, to a sight that filled you with such dread. Yukio looked at you with caring eyes as he ran his hand over the side of your face continuously, trying to calm you down, to comfort you as he usually would. It only made you cry harder._  
  
_“Shh, Shh… it’s okay now, (Y/N). They’re gone. They won’t be bothering us any longer…” He smiled gently, his face moving closer and closing the distance between you, tainting your lips with blood._  
   
 “Urgh…! …What…?!”  You sat up, panting and sweating profusely and looking around frantically. You were exactly where you were when you fell asleep. You were still in your room; nothing had happened.  
   
With this thought in mind, you breathed a heavy sigh of relief, your racing heart slowing down a bit. It was a bit strange. This was the only nightmare you had after everything that happened, and before you had wondered to yourself how you could be sleeping so soundly. It seems you just had a late reaction. Or maybe it was a bit of foreshadowing…  
   
  _No! No, I can’t think like that. If I don’t have faith in them, how good of a friend am I? I have to be stronger than that. They promised they would protect me, so they will. I’ll help when the time comes, when Yukio will need me. I am… the only one… who can get through to him… at this point…_  
   
 Despite just waking up from a nightmare, you could already feel the fatigue catching up with you, and you knew you weren’t asleep for that long. You could feel your eyes closing without your permission, so you decided to let yourself drift away once again, praying that you wouldn’t have to go through another nightmare tonight.  
   
 Only for your eyes to shoot open at the sound of gunshots.  
 

 

***

   
_Third Person Point of View…_  
   
    
_Bang. Bang._  
   
 “Tch… You just won’t quit, will you? How long is it going to take before you realize that you can’t keep her from me?” Yukio spat at him, though he wasn’t entirely focused. His mind was quickly mapping out a plan; if he could distract Valentine, he should lower his guard enough for him to land an attack—  
   
 Yukio dodged his assault at the last possible second, dropping and rolling to the side as anyone experienced in combat would. Valentine only grunted and eyed him carefully, clearly trying to anticipate his next move. So instead of attacking, Yukio only crouched on his knees, letting out a laugh.  
   
 “I bet you’re wondering why that female ninja hasn’t run to your aid, correct?” Yukio lifted his face, and knew that his question had caught the man off guard. Valentine’s eyes widened slightly, but he stood his ground, not yet losing focus on the battle at hand.  
   
  Yukio rose to his feet, still chuckling to himself. He wondered; what would happen if he let him know just what he did with her?  
   
 It brought a smile to his lips to think of the grief he would cause. “She gave up a bit of a fight, but naturally my skills as a professionally trained exorcist far outmatched her unruly skill as a ninja. I believe that her face was floating in a pool of her own blood by the time I left.”  
   
 “…!” Vincent flinched, and Yukio didn’t hesitate to take advantage of his lapse in concentration. That was the mistake that would lead to his death.  
   
_Bang, Bang, Bang._  
   
“Hurgh…!” Vincent coughed up blood, and tried to resume avoiding Yukios’ blows. However, now that he’d been hit, Vincent was noticeably slower now, and it took little effort for Yukio to keep up with his pace and to dodge or deflect his attacks, shooting even more bullets into his body. After a while of this routine, Vince could no longer stand. He fell forward, landing on the floor with a sharp gasp. His opponent grinned triumphantly. Valentine was weak now, all he had to do was finish him off.  
   
 The exorcist stood over him, but Vincent couldn’t move from his injuries. There really was no escaping this. Instead of finishing him off right away, Yukio bent down leaning over so closely next to his ear.  
  
 “Don’t take this personally… I would have killed anyone who tried to keep (Y/N)-chan from me, friend or not. And think of it this way… at least you’ll be able to see Yuffie-san again…”  
   
 Vincent stared off to the left, his cheek pressed against the floor. His eyes were still sharp, but his body was slowly filling with regret. Yuffie died, and he never even noticed. He failed in their mission to keep (Y/N) safely out of his reach…  
   
  _(Y/N)…_  
   
_Yuffie…_  
   
_I’m sorry…_  
   
 Vincent’s thoughts came to an immediate halt as Yukio embedded a bullet into his brain. His body stilled, and became unmoving, his once sharp crimson eyes, now a dull shade of brown, like a dried bloodstain.  
   
 Yukio got to his feet, staring at the lifeless Vincent Valentine with his mouth in a thin line. After a moment of silence, he scoffed, shaking his head.  
   
 “…Though I doubt that you would actually go to where _she’s_ headed.” He wiped the blood off of his chin, turning to the area that Vincent was guarding and stepping forward into an even stride.  
   
 Nothing was standing in his way now. Two of them were dead, and his brother was trying to regain his strength, though that wouldn’t even matter. By the time Rin was back in good health, they would be long gone, far away to a place that would be out of his reach.  
   
 Each step he took, he felt like he was walking further and further into a dream. It felt like he was dreaming. After all this time, he was finally- he could finally be with her again. It was more than he could hope for.  
   
The only trouble now was…  
   
Finding out exactly where her room was.  
 

 

***

   
_First Person Point of View…_  
  
   
 I only felt numb as my ears focused on the sound that was clearly a gun firing at something. I couldn’t move. I could hardly even breathe. What was happening out there?  
   
 Was Vincent fighting Yukio? Who was winning?  
   
 Checking the hallway would be a bad idea, but even so I couldn’t help but want to do it anyway. If he was out there, than I wanted to be there for when he was defeated. Maybe I could cause a distraction…?  
   
 Though no matter how much I determined my plan in my head, my body still refused to move. And the feeling of fear inside of me, only grew worse when I realized the gunshots had stopped. It was completely silent.  
   
  _Who… Who won?_  
   
 There was no way of knowing by just sitting here. Willing my body to move, I sat up with a little difficulty, trailing my eyes towards the door. Light shined under the door from the hallway on the other side.  
   
 The footsteps began echoing in the mansion by the time I managed to crawl out of bed. I tensed immediately, the paralysation of fear flowing through my veins at a pace that I couldn’t even begin to fathom.  
   
  _Is that Yukio? Or is that Vincent? Oh God, I don’t know…_  
   
 Suddenly, the footsteps halted. I waited with baited breath, for something to happen. Anything.  
   
 And something did happen.  
   
 The room became complete and total darkness as the light in the hallway flickered, and died. My breathing increased as I came to the realization that-  
   
There was no way that that was Vincent.  
   
 My panic was so great, I didn’t even hear the creak of the door sliding open, nor did I register the footsteps that came straight in my direction. I did however, take notice of the wiry arms that circled around my body, bringing me close to a warm, slender chest.  
   
 My breath hitched, and I swung my head around, desperately trying to see my captor. I only now noticed that there was a tiny bit of light coming from the window from behind the curtain, faintly illuminating Yukio as he looked at me with such… admiring eyes.  
   
 “Wh…Wha…” That was all that would come out of my mouth.  
   
 “It’s fine, (Y/N)-chan. You don’t have to say anything. Just come with me…” He said softly, urging me to accept his offer.  
   
 Finally snapping out of my stupor enough to act, I began struggling in his arms, but he didn’t loosen his grip even once, and yet his embrace wasn’t constricting, either; only gentle.  
   
 “N-No… Yukio, we can’t… Please, just let me help you, I understand why you’re acting like this now! Let’s just talk about this!”  
   
 His breath blew past my ear from his sigh.  
   
 “My brother told you, huh…? Hm, I suppose I should be grateful for not having to explain everything to you some other time. But you must understand, (Y/N)… Rin didn’t tell you the whole truth of the situation, only the fabricated one that I told him.”  
  
 I stopped struggling, partly because I knew I wasn’t getting anywhere, and partly because I was curious about what he had to say. He didn’t exactly say that Rin had lied to me, not intentionally, anyway.  
   
 “I wasn’t trying to escape the Vatican from punishing me. Not really… Gehenna was a part of my plan, yes, that is true. But escaping wasn’t my top priority. You see, (Y/N)-chan, the depression I carried prior to meeting you had finally consumed me whole. I didn’t see the point in carrying on with living, not after I’d killed Shiemi. I planned to let the demons of Gehenna eat me alive. Nothing went as planned, of course. But, really, I’m so glad that it didn’t. Otherwise, I never would have met you…”  
   
 He buried his face in my hair, smiling.  
   
 “When I met you, I knew I wouldn’t make the same mistake I made with Shiemi. That’s why I told you I would never hurt you. If you died now, I might as well be dead too. It’s funny… when we met, in your eyes I became your anchor, your pillar of hope and comfort, though in reality, for me it was the other way around. You saved me, (Y/N). And without you, I would be nothing. That’s why… no matter what, you’re coming with me. Even if I have to force you.”  
   
 He said this in a low voice; it wasn’t threatening, but it was said with enough seriousness that I couldn’t shake the shiver that ran up my spine.  
   
 I was crying now, the weight of his words and the guilt I felt bore down on me heavily. I thought before that I might have been a bit of help to him when Rin told me what he went through, but to actually hear the boy himself say those words…  
   
 It was something I suddenly could hardly grasp.  
   
 “Yuki, I… I’m sorry I ran away the first time, I was scared, but… if you could just let go of me, I could still try to help you. You know I can’t go with you right now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you. You just need to get everything sorted out first—”  
   
 His chuckle cut me off.  
   
 “I knew you were going to be a bit difficult about this… Don’t worry, I’m not mad. I do need to apologize for this, though… I really am sorry, (Y/N), but you leave me no choice.”  
   
 By the time I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, he forced his mouth on top of my own, his tongue slipping past my parted lips and pushing something small down my throat. He didn’t actually pull away until a few seconds later, an apologetic smile on his face as my whole body began to feel heavy. At first, I had no idea what was happening to me, until I found I couldn’t hold myself upright and fell into Yukios’ arms. He had given me something. As he lifted me up my eyes began to close themselves, no matter how much I fought to pry them open.  
   
Everything started to fade out, until I knew nothing but the blackness that swept over me.

~


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you wake up and find yourself in your old boyfriends' clutches, you instantly feel as if your situation is about to get a whole lot worse. (Those who are uncomfortable with lemons or non-consensual sex, I'd advise you to at least read until the "***" before waiting for the next chapter. Thank you, and please enjoy.)

 

Before I had even begun to open my eyes, I knew something was wrong.  
   
 My body felt numb, and my head was slightly throbbing, but something felt like it was off.  
   
 The events that occurred before I passed out were already making themselves known to me, and I know that Yukio must have taken me somewhere, but that wasn’t my main concern.  
   
 Even with everything I knew, there was this… feeling of awareness, inside my chest that told me as soon as I made it known that I was awake, something very bad would happen.  
   
 Guided by this feeling, I pretended to still be asleep, not moving my eyelids and trying to slow my breathing—  
   
  _“Why don’t you open your eyes, (Y/N)-chan? I can tell when you’re awake, you know…”_  
   
 My eyes shot open, startled. The first thing I saw was Rins’ twin brother, Yukio, hovering over me with a soft smile and worrying eyes.  
   
 “Your head must hurt, right? Here, take this pill, and it’ll make you feel better.” He picked up a tall glass of orange juice and a tiny green pill, coming closer to me with them.  
   
 The suspicion in me flared up from eyeing the pill, and I tried to say, “No, I…” Only for the words to barely make it out of my mouth, as hoarse as my voice sounded.  
   
 My old boyfriend looked confused for a moment, before smiling again, as if suddenly having an epiphany.  
   
 “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going to make you pass out again. This really is for the pain. Despite what anyone else might have told you, I don’t want you to have to suffer, (Y/N).”  
   
 I hesitated for a bit, not sure what to do or say.  
   
Instinctively my hands shot out to grab them.  
   
 Only to be forced still by the wrappings around my wrists tied to the thick bedpost.  
   
 The fear welling up within me was back instantaneously.  
   
 “Y-Yukio… why am I… tied up?!” I got out between coughs, my throat drier than I realized.  
   
 His smile dropped a little, but it didn’t disappear completely.  
   
 “Ah, yes. That… That is just temporary, don’t worry. I won’t force you to be like this for longer than necessary. They’ll be off real soon, I promise. For now, just think of it as… reassurance.”  
   
 He didn’t say anything for a minute after that, but I could have sworn I saw a glint of something in his eyes…  
“Well, I guess I’ll need to do it for you, since you’re kind of incapable right now…” His heartwarming smile was back as he held the pill in front of my mouth, waiting for me to take it.  
   
 Slowly, I opened my lips, and he plopped it on my tongue. He held the juice to my lips as I sipped some of it, washing the pill down. Once he was sure the pill was gone, he placed the clear class on an end table that I hadn’t noticed until now, before sitting on the edge of the bed, not saying anything.  
   
 No one spoke for a bit. I wasn’t sure if it was because there wasn’t anything I wanted to ask without the risk of hearing more crazy talk, or because the tension was high.  
   
 Surprisingly, it was he who broke the silence.  
   
 “(Y/N)… you… you don’t hate me, do you…?” There was a certain hollowness- and a bit of self-loathing in his voice, it made me cringe just hearing it.  
   
 “I… I understand if you do. I took you against your will, and I killed people… Killed your friends… I’m sorry about all of this, I just… all I wanted was for us to be together…!” His voice broke, and I could hear him let out shuddering, heartbreaking sobs.  
   
 “I don’t deserve your sympathy—I should have just…”  
   
 Even though I didn’t want to, I couldn’t help but feel really guilty. If only I had known about his condition sooner, maybe he could have gotten some treatment in time. In part, it was also my fault that this happened. If I had only paid more attention…  
   
 “Yukio-” I coughed, clearing my throat.  
   
 “D-Don’t… it wasn’t really all your fault. I’m kinda to blame, too.” I said quietly; my vocal cords weren’t failing me completely now.  
   
 “Please don’t blame everything on yourself. If I tried to help you, tried to understand what was happening sooner, this might have never happened. You can’t really blame yourself in that mind state, Yukio… It’s almost funny, in a way. Even after everything you’ve done, killing my classmates, injuring Rin, killing my new friends, drugging me, kidnapping me and tying me up… I know I’ll never be able to forgive you, but still, somehow, I still care about you.”  
   
 “Pretty sure that even now, I…” But instead of finishing, a bitter laugh tumbled from my chest.  
   
 It was ridiculous, but even now I still…  
   
 I still loved him.  
   
Yukio lifted his face, streaked with fresh tears, a look of bewilderment in his eyes. Almost like the one he had when _I_ first cried in front of _him._  
   
 Then, the look suddenly changed into something else. Something more… unrecognizable.  
   
 He swung his feet back onto the large bed, to which he was then on all fours, and crawling towards me.  
   
 I began to become afraid. What was he planning to do? The restraints around my wrists suddenly felt even less desirable at the moment.  
   
 Yukio swiftly made his way on top of my torso, his coat making him seem to weigh more than he should. He adjusted his position so his legs were straddling me around the waist, and he hovered over me, none threateningly, but it was still quite an intimidating sight.  
   
 I tried to speak. To say something. Anything. But all I could accomplish was a raspy gasp.  
   
 “(Y/N)-chan… I can’t believe you still love me. This is… I almost feel like it isn’t real. But, dream or not, I’m not going to let this slip by—not just yet.” His eyes, still heavy with something I couldn’t figure out, trailed down to my face… and on my lips.  
   
 I knew what he was going to do before he even did it. He leaned his face towards me, crashing his lips with mine in a kiss. The kiss was passionate, fiery, even, as he wasted no time in plunging his tongue into my wet mouth, the pink muscle sliding over my own and rubbing over every surface.  
   
 It took me a moment to react properly, which was to panic and shake him off of me. Getting him away from me took some effort, but I succeeded since he was so absorbed in the kiss he wasn’t focusing on anything else.  
   
 Gasping for air, I had to catch my breath before I could scold him. I may have almost said that I still loved him, but that didn’t mean I wanted to make out with him!  
   
 “(Y/N)-chan, what’s wrong?” He asked, though his tone was taking on a huskier version of itself.  
   
 “What…What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’…?! I may still be in love with you, but we can’t be doing all of these things when you still need help, dammit! Plus, I never said I was comfortable doing these things with you with the way things are.” I gasped.  
   
 “But (Y/N)-chan, I’m doing this for _you_. I want to treat you extra special tonight, to show you how much I really love you, and how much you mean to me. Please, my love… just relax, and I promise I will make you feel amazing…”  
   
 The meaning behind his words, finally dawned on me.  
   
 He was planning to-  
   
_Oh, no…_  
 

 

***  
 

   
 I parted my lips to speak again, to try to talk him out of it, but he only silenced me with his own lips, sliding his appendage into my mouth once again.  
   
 My arms fought against the smooth wrappings they were bound with. The material was soft enough that, even if I struggled against it as hard as I could, it wouldn’t hurt me; though I wouldn’t be able to get out of it, either.  
   
 He really did plan all of this out…  
   
  _God; what was wrong with me? Being impressed in a situation like this. He was about to rape me, for fucks’ sake!_    
   
 Though my mind got back on track, I knew the chances of getting out of this… were pretty slim.  
   
 And I knew that, the feeling I had, the one I had before I even opened my eyes; this was it. Somehow, I knew something was going to happen.  
   
I just didn’t realize how terrifying the reveal of the foreboding feeling would really be.  
   
 His hand began wandering down, feeling against my tank top I’d gotten from the mansion. After a moment, it made its way up my side, over my bare shoulder, feeling one of the straps that held it in place. His eyes had been closed the entire time during the kiss, but they suddenly shot open in a narrow position, his hand reaching into one of his many pockets and flicking something on my arm so fast that I wasn’t sure what happened; that was, until part of the top fell slightly, and I looked to see that the strap on my left shoulder had been cut cleanly in half.  
   
 Before I could even gasp, the other one was cut as well, though I now noticed that what was used to cut them was… a medical scalpel.  
   
  Yukios’ tongue retracted from my mouth, though he didn’t move away.  
   
 “Sorry… I promise I’ll buy you another one…”  
   
 He mumbled against my lips, his eyes now half lidded. His face was flushed when he fully left my lips, his mouth open as shallow puffs of breath escaped, and a long, thin strand of saliva connecting the two of us broke apart, landing and trickling down our chins.  
   
 Yukio had been the one to initiate this, but he still seemed somewhat embarrassed, and his movements were sluggish and almost hesitant. As if, in his mind, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go through with it or not.  
   
 Seeing this, I immediately began trying to appeal to that part of himself. I wasn’t ready for this sort of thing—especially not with a teenage boy whose mind was in such a delicate state!  
   
 “Yukio, please… I don’t want this… I-I’m not ready! For you to take my virginity like this, it’s not right!”  
   
 He paused for a moment. His face was looking down, as if contemplating his next move.  
   
 I could only hope that words were enough to get through to him.  
   
 His voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.  
   
 “Don’t you get it, (Y/N)-chan…?” He spoke quietly, his glasses shielding his eyes from my view.  
   
 “I’m doing this because I love you… Just knowing that you love me fills me with joy. I wanted to… return the favor, that’s why, no matter what, I’m going to make sure that tonight is special.”  
   
_“Tonight, you’ll finally belong to me… and I’ll belong to you.”_  
   
 There was nothing I could say to respond to that.  
   
Yukio never bothered waiting for an answer, either, as he began to peel my top off my chest, pulling it down, around my jeans and off of my feet. He tossed the tank top in a random direction in the room.  
   
 The cold air of the room made my nipples perk up from behind my bra, but thankfully Yukio couldn’t see them because the padding was too thick. His penetrating gaze on my bosom was uncomfortable, and I wished beyond everything that I could just cover myself up in that moment.  
   
 His face drew closer to mine, brushing his lips against my bottom lip, his mouth and nose trailing down against my skin, leaving a light kiss on my collarbone, and arriving between the valley of my covered breasts.  
   
 A shudder went through me as his hands snaked around my abdomen, reaching the clips holding my white bra in place. His fingers began fiddling around with them, though his eyes were heavily focused on me, and I pleaded with my eyes locked on his, pleading with him to stop as each tiny clasp was unhooked.  
   
 Yukio only leaned in and pecked my lips, as if to assure me that it would be alright.  
   
_Everything… Everything would be fine._  
   
_I would be…_  
   
_Okay…_  
   
 No. That was something I simply could not believe. If Yukio really went through with this, we would change. I would change. Everything would change.  
   
 So, no. Everything would _not be okay._  
   
 The scalpel was out again, and Yukio quickly muttered out another apology and claiming he would buy me another, before slashing the two straps on my shoulders. He threw the ruined bra to another corner of the dark bedroom, allowing my concealed breasts to spill forth from their confines.  
   
 My head turned away from Yukios deeply red face, his eyes widened in shock and admiration. I didn’t want to look.  
   
 His mouth closed around a hot pink bud, shyly, experimentally swirling his tongue around and on top of it. I couldn’t help but gasp—the sensation felt so… foreign. But the feeling of his tongue grazing the surface of my breast, his long fingers grasping and kneading the other also felt… good.  
   
 The fact only made me hate myself more for even enjoying it.  
   
 “(Y/N)-chan… does this feel good?” He whispered against my breasts, running his wet tongue around the mound and flicking over the nipple, his hand squeezing my other boob softly.  
   
 A shiver ran down my spine. I didn’t want to like these feelings; dammit, I wanted to hate them. But they really felt so good—  
   
 “Ahh- Ah…! N-No, p-please stoo…s-stop!” I whimpered pitifully.  
   
Ugh, I sounded so pathetic. I loathed it.  
   
 But my words didn’t match up with my body’s reaction. Yukio noticed this as well.  
   
“I suppose we can move on for tonight if that’s what you want,” his eyes seemed almost disappointed over my lie.  
   
 “I…” I paused, unsure how to continue. If I said yes, he might very well just skip right to the sex, and I didn’t want that. Saying no would just prolong the inevitable. Yet on the other hand, if I started trying to plead with him again, he probably wouldn’t even listen to me anyway. No matter what I said, he seemed intent on finishing what he started. Even if I got hurt in the process.  
   
  _How ironic… he said he would never hurt me, and yet here he is, doing exactly that._  
   
_I wonder if anyone is looking for me right now. Where are mom and dad…?_  
   
 It was stupid, but my mind wandered away from where I was at the moment. To my family, and how they were getting along without me. I wondered if they had filed a missing persons’ report, and if the police were doing an investigation, even though I knew they would never find me.  
   
 Yukio would make sure of that.  
   
 “Well, if you won’t answer, I guess I’m going to have to make this up as I go. Tell me if I’m doing it right, okay?”  
   
 Without waiting for a response, he lightly pressed his lips against my stomach, placing butterfly kisses as his mouth strayed ever lower. He paused at my jeans. Lifting his head slightly, he began unbuttoning and zipping down the fly, pulling my jeans to remove them from my body.  
   
 Instantly, I began thrashing around, trying to prevent him from removing even more of my clothes. I didn’t want to become naked in front of him! He sighed, holding my squirming body down so he could remove them the rest of the way. With a quick yank, the pants were off, and he carelessly tossed them aside.  
   
 “Really, (Y/N)-chan, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re beautiful…” He said lowly, his eyes shining with sincerity.  
   
 An uncontrollable blush rose to my face, and I huffed indignantly. I _was_ insecure, but that wasn’t the problem here! He was about to have non-consensual sex with me, while I was tied to the bed, and he didn’t seem to see anything wrong with it. _That_ was the problem.  
   
 My furious inner tirade distracted me so much that I didn’t even notice Yukio was sliding my panties down my legs and chucking them away until I heard the soft _swish_ of clothing hitting something.  
   
 “Y-Yukio! What are you doing?! I never said you could- AHH!” I was swiftly cut off by my own scream.  
   
 Yukios’ hot, moist tongue slipped inside the folds of skin of my womanly section, sliding it around this way and that, giving my lower half pleasant tingles that left me biting my own lip, trying hard to hold in any sounds.  
   
 “How about this, (Y/N)? Does this feel good?”  
   
 “I-I already told you to sto-op!” I hissed, feeling his lips close around my clitoris and sucking.  
   
 My body writhed against the pleasure, wanting it to stop, but at the same time, wishing it could continue. My mind switched focus rapidly back and forth between the delightful sensations running through me and the painful pangs in my heart.  
   
 This was going to drive me insane.  
   
“Hahh… Y-Yukio…” I groaned.  
   
 There was this tight feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something was being wound up, ready to spring free at any given moment. I realized that the feeling was my climax fast approaching.  
   
 Yukios’ muscle flexed inside of me, pulling out and plunging back in at a quick pace.  
   
“Y...YUKIO!”  
   
 The tightness exploded as I cried out. Yukio was left to lap up the juices my body excreted from my hole. He sat up, licking his lips.  
   
 “You taste excellent, (Y/N)-chan.” He smiled a bit.  
   
 I just laid there, wheezing and gasping for air. I hadn’t even done anything but struggle, and yet my body felt so tired all of a sudden…  
   
 Yukio began slithering out of his long coat, placing it carefully on the floor, but then hastily got to work undoing the buttons on his shirt and pants. I paled at the sight.  
   
 It was happening—and here I was, unable to do a thing. I couldn’t think of it as anything other than tragic. Like a car accident.  
   
 Once his bare upper body came into view, my eyes were glued to the spot. He wasn’t all that muscular, but there definitely was some definition to it. It was mostly lean muscle, and his chest to his waist was slender. Pretty much perfect, if I had to describe it in my own taste…  
   
 And then I remembered what was happening, and my heart leapt into a fast pace seeing his black pants slide down to his ankles, letting me see the bulge in his underwear.  
   
 His underpants dropped.  
   
 I swallowed dryly.  
   
 Obviously, I wasn’t experienced when it came to how big dicks were supposed to be, but as far as I was concerned, the one in front of me right now, looked to be a bit above average, _at least._  
   
 I already wanted to start crying.  
   
 My former friend, and boyfriend, began climbing back onto the bed, settling his own naked body on top of mine. He saw the distressed look in my eyes, the fear, and the anger. Every emotion I had boiling deep in my heart, all visible to his fixed gaze. His hand reached out, stopping as I flinched away, before coming closer and landing on my head. Yukio began stroking my hair softly.  
   
 “Please, don’t be scared, (Y/N)-chan.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.  
   
 “I’ll be as gentle as possible. I promise.” Yukio said this all with a soothing voice while he guided his penis to my entrance, brushing the tip against my lower lips to cover it in left over cum to make the process easier on me.  
   
 My eyes heavy with tears, I let out a shuddering breath. Whether I was willing or not, this was going to happen. I would be torn apart from the inside, and nothing would be able to fix it.  
   
 Yukio grunted as he pushed in slightly, before going still, his mouth only in a straight line. Why was he stopping? Was he going to spare me of the torture? To not rob me of what made me a woman?  
   
 “(Y/N)… In order for the pain to pass faster, I’m going to need to go in quickly and all at once. Be ready, I’ll try to make this as fast as possible so it won’t hurt as much.” He grabbed my thighs, spreading my legs apart further.  
   
 When I began to stutter out a protest, it was already too late.  
   
 His cock slammed into me, and the pain that hit was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.  
   
“Nghh!” I groaned, the tears leaking out of my eyes and down my cheeks. How could anyone do this?! It felt like his penis had _shredded_ through the hymen that was inside me.  
   
 Yukio hushed me, gently wiping away my tears. He waited for a while, waited for me to get used to him and for the pain to fade. Once he deemed it had vanished, he positioned himself. It was then that he started to move.  
   
 His first thrust brought the stinging pain again, but it faded faster than I thought it would.  
   
 The rhythm he set was slow and steady, pumping into me evenly without stopping. Gradually, his pace began to increase, and my body immediately began to react.  
   
 My fists clenched tightly in my binds, my nails digging into my skin from the amount of pure pleasure I was feeling. The pain was completely gone now, and the feeling of Yukios’ cock grazing against my inner walls only struck certain points within me that sent my body and mind reeling with ecstasy.  
   
 I found that I could barely form a coherent thought. I was in complete euphoria.  
   
 Whenever my mind wanted to protest, Yukio would hit a pressure point in my body that sent me tumbling back into a state of thoughtlessness once again. It was a continuing cycle that lasted for what felt like a long time.  
   
 Yukio moaned lightly, panting tiredly as sweat rolled down his back. His face neared mine as his lips landed on my neck and he began to nibble and suck on my skin feverishly. I could only gasp and moan as the coiling feeling in my gut grew tighter and tighter still, so tight that I knew I wouldn’t last very long now.  
   
 “I…I’m so close, (Y/N)-chan!” Yukio groaned by my ear, hissing slightly as my walls began clamping against his hard member.  
   
 When Yukios’ hand reached down, his middle finger rubbing against my clit, I lost it.  
   
 A moan fell from my open mouth as I came, the liquid I released surrounding and covering Yukios’ twitching cock. Yukio growled softly as I came over him, thrusting faster until-  
   
“(Y-Y/N)!” He ejaculated as well, semen flowing from his penis and into my body, filling me up with the sticky white substance.  
   
 I crumbled to the bed as he pulled out of me, panting. As soon as he got off of me, he collapsed beside me, his hands shakily reaching up and unwrapping the material around my wrists, freeing them. The tired boy pulled me against his body, covering us with the blanket we were just laying on top of. His embrace was gentle as Yukio closed his eyes, a gratified smile on his face.  
   
“I love you so much, (Y/N)…”  
   
He said nothing after that. It didn’t take me long to realize it was because he had fallen asleep.  
   
 I was fighting off the urge of sleep as best as I could, but I was exhausted. My body was tired and aching, and my mind felt so disoriented that I could barely make sense of anything.  
   
 The darkness was coming over me, and though my mind was practically in pieces, I was able to form one single thought before passing out.  
   
  _What have I done…?_

~


	20. Final Chapter

 

 It was hard to discern just how long I slept for, or what time it was, all I knew is that my body still ached by the time Yukio woke me up for breakfast. He fed me one spoonful at a time, like I was a baby. The food looked like it would be delicious, but I didn’t even register the taste.  
   
 I was too numb.  
   
All of the words that I had wanted to say to him, to talk some sense into this once sane boy, all of them left the night before. Now I was just struggling to cope with what was becoming my reality.  
   
 “That’s all of it… good job, (Y/N)-chan!” He brought the bowl away from me with another one of those soft smiles, the ones that made him look ever so innocent.  
   
 I continued to stare at him as he placed the empty dish over to the side, his face turning toward me as he drew closer and gently brushed his lips over mine. My body remained unmoving.  
   
“I know that they were your friends, and I’m sorry… But I had no choice. I will do whatever it takes to protect you from now on. I will make sure… that no one will come between us.” He whispered against my lips, once again developing that murkiness in his eyes.  
   
 I said nothing.  
   
The events of the night before just played over and over in the back of my mind, like some sort of broken DVD player that I just couldn’t toss away.  
   
I knew it should have been obvious that this would have happened eventually, but…  
   
 How was knowing that fact supposed to be comforting?  
   
 The only relief I had was when I asked Yukio as soon as I was up, something that I had been dreading to hear the answer to.  
   
 _“Y-Yukio… am I pregnant now?” My voice shook with the words._  
   
 _Having a baby like this would be absolutely horrifying. I never even wanted kids anyway…_  
   
 _He shook his head, chuckling a bit._  
   
 _“No, no that wouldn’t be possible. The pill I gave you earlier last night, while it did have pain reliever effects, its main purpose was to act as a sort of strong birth control. Having a kid one day would be nice, but it wouldn’t be very responsible of me to let you give birth now. We are underage, after all.”_  
   
 At least I wouldn’t be bringing a kid into this world. I don’t think I would have been able to handle it. More importantly, examining what Yukio had said, last night hadn’t been just an act of passion. He had planned it; at least, to some extent, to have that pill handy…  
  
 My head began aching the more I thought. Damn, everything was like a goddamn puzzle with him…  
   
 A game to be played—one that I indefinitely lose at every time. Because how does an unskilled, inexperienced girl like me with no tactical ability whatsoever win against a smart, dedicated, prodigy who is apparently relentless when it comes to getting what he wants?  
   
 It’s as if I’m a newbie chess player, going against the finest and most well-revered chess player on Earth. Face it, you’re bound to lose.  
   
 “Listen, I know this is a bit sudden, but we’re leaving today. I already have everything figured out, so don’t concern yourself about the details. I’ll give you an hour to get ready, and then we’re out of here.”  
   
 Yukio began undoing my binds as he spoke, freeing my hands from their soft imprisonment. As soon as they were undone, he began speaking again.  
   
“The bathroom is the door on the right; I already put a towel in there for you, and a change of clothes are at the end of the bed. I’ll be waiting in another room, so come find me when you’re done.”  
   
 Yukio stood, allowing me to slowly sit up and stand as well, though my legs felt unstable and I almost fell immediately after getting on my feet. And I probably would have, if not for the spectacle wearing boy who steadied me.  
   
 After I was strong enough to stand on my own, Yukios’ eyes flitted over me, a blush creeping over his face as he realized I was still completely naked. It only took me a moment to notice as well, staring at his red face.  
My hands flew to cover my breasts and lower area, before quickly fleeing to the bathroom.  
   
 I was a bit surprised I could actually run, given my wobbly stance just a minute ago. Though it was probably my shame and embarrassment thinking of last night that fueled me.  
   
 With a deep sigh, I heaved my body over the tub and under the showerhead. My hand slipped around the knob, turning it to as hot as I could handle, which was almost scolding, before tilting my head back, letting the clean water wash my body.  
   
 My now _dirty_ body.  
   
 Sniffling slightly, I shut my eyes as tightly as I could, even though I knew it was coming anyway. The second I opened my eyes, fat tears rolled down my cheeks, blending in with the clearness of the water.  
   
 Why did it have to be like this? My whole life- all leading up to _this?_ All because I had met Yukio, because I befriended him. It felt right at the time; but was I wrong? Did this mean that it was my own fault that this happened to me?  
   
  _I feel like… if I had met Yukio in a different time… before he was like this… maybe things could have been different…_  
   
 Even after everything, I was still in love with him, and then he had sex with me when he _knew_ I wasn’t comfortable with it. And there was nothing I could do about it now. The damage was done.  
Can I forgive him?  
   
 Squirting the shampoo in my hands, I vigorously began rubbing my scalp and hair. It hurt from how rough I was being, but the pain distracted me some, and the distraction helped me from my thoughts.  
   
 I didn’t know how I felt about Yukio after this, but I did know one thing.  
   
 Things like this… don’t just fade away.  
   
 The running water washed away all the suds, and I quickly lathered up my body with the bar soap before washing again. I would have stayed in the shower all day if I could, if I didn’t know that Yukio would probably come in to get me if I took too long.  
   
 After another minute, I slowly turned off the water, carefully stepping out onto the floor mat while grabbing hold of a white towel.  
   
 To be honest, I wasn’t sure what was keeping me going anymore. The only thing I could see my future having is a life with Yukio, in involuntary captivity, and maybe then I would be forced to have children, so we could all be a ‘real’ family.  
   
The thought made me sick.  
   
Other than that, there was only one other option. And the only other alternative to that future was…  
   
 I found myself gazing into the mirror. It reflected my face, and how tired it looked. My eyes were sunken in, slightly puffy from my crying, and my skin was a few tones paler than usual. I barely recognized myself.  
   
 My eyes traced the cool, reflective glass. Glass. Glass was known to be sharp when in pieces, right? A shard of broken glass could kill someone, without a doubt. Anyone could shatter a mirror by hitting it with something. Even their own fist. Someone who was desperate, even. Someone who would do anything to get out of their situation. They could punch a mirror, take a sharp piece of the glass, and drive it into their throat—  
   
  _“(Y/N)? Are you alright in there?”_ A muffled, worried voice sounded from the other side of the door.  
   
 I snapped out of my reverie, realizing that I must have taken too long.  
   
 “Yeah, I’m fine.” I called, glad my voice sounded somewhat normal.  
   
“OK, I’ll be waiting in the other room.” Then sometime after that, I heard the sound of hesitant footsteps leaving the room.  
   
 My hands clutched at my head tightly—if Yukio hadn’t of interrupted me, I might’ve…  
   
 Well, there was no use dwelling on it. If I was going to have to face whatever comes next, I would just have to try to hold up as long as I could. No matter how unpleasant it might be.  
   
 Grabbing the doorknob and swinging it open, I crept towards the bed, my mind tired and confused.  
   
  _Would life even be worth living then?_  
   
 I thought dully.  
   
 _I’m sure that, even now, I still love Yukio, but could I really live with him while he’s like this?_  
   
 At least the clothes Yukio picked out were things I’d usually wear. A simple tee shirt, baggy blue jeans, and a dark sweater. The undergarments were modest looking as well.  
   
 I tried not to think anymore as I slipped everything on, but the depressing thoughts were eating away at me.  
   
Everything just felt so hopeless, and that it did not matter what I did, all my efforts would be fruitless. I could try to run away, but he would probably just track me down. That is, if I could even get out of the house first.  
   
 The room was dark, and there wasn’t a single window in sight. I hadn’t really taken notice of my surroundings beforehand, as I was… preoccupied, but now that I was looking, it became apparent how empty the room was. The bed was pretty large and all, but it was about the biggest thing in the whole room, and that wasn’t saying much, taking into account the small end table beside it, or the worn, modest-looking dresser beside the door that I assumed was the way out. Other than that, and the door leading to the bathroom, the room was very much barren.  
   
 It nourished a feeling of loneliness I hadn’t even known was there.  
   
 Quickly deciding to try to snuff out the emotion, my footsteps led me to the door that went to the hallway. Upon grasping the handle, I noticed a distinct creak of metal; probably from lack of use, I noted briefly. The place must have been old, or hadn’t been tended to in a while.  
   
 A sound of violent protest came from the wooden door further proved my suspicions as I pushed it forward, a loud groaning coming from the rusty hinges.  
   
 If that wasn’t enough, the old wooden planks seemed to creak and bend under the weight of my feet as I took each step forward, and I found myself wondering if they were about to give out underneath me.  
   
 Nevertheless, I opted to ignore it and continued down the dark, dusty hallway. There weren’t any windows out here either, as far as I could tell, or if there were, I couldn’t see them. Was it night time?  
   
 I just ate breakfast about half an hour earlier…  
   
 My head shook back and forth, as if from its own accord. I needed to find Yukio. Sure, he wasn’t exactly sane, or the best person to be around in a situation like this, but the loneliness I felt may very well drive me insane before he does.  
   
 _If I’m not already fucking crazy…_  
   
 For all I knew, I could be completely out of my head—driven to madness from Yukios’ obsession over me. Perhaps he has me wrapped in a straitjacket somewhere, and coos and fawns over my immobile body while I hallucinate and pretend that I’m anywhere than where I really am.  
   
 The thought terrifies me.  
   
 I came to another dark wooden door, and I knew Yukio was inside, because there was a pale blue light filtering through the gaps between the wall and the door.  
   
 My hand grasped the handle without even thinking, pushing the door open slowly, and the light grew brighter and I had to squint my eyes for a moment to adjust to the change. When I could see clearly, a surge of horror shot through me as my eyes caught on to the sight of Yukio, and what was behind him.  
   
 A massive dark pit in the middle of the floor, and inside of it, crawling, floating, were… things. They were monsters, and the sounds that they made… groaning and howling, as if they were in pain, or…  
   
 The only way I could describe it is hell unleashed. I stared at the festering pool, before locking eyes with Yukio, mortified.  
   
 “Oh, good! Looks like you’re ready.” He smiled, before gesturing to the dark demonic hole.  
   
“This will be our passage-way to our new home. I figured out that by using the Gehenna Gate in this world, there is a very high probability that we will be sent back to my— _our_ , universe.”  
  
 I gulped, eyeing the ‘portal’ warily.  
   
“And what if it fails?” I slowly questioned, noticing how he said a _high probability_ , meaning there was no guarantee it would even work.  
   
He frowned lightly, but answered, “Then we’ll probably end up in Gehenna. But the chances of that happening are very slim, especially since I activated the portal in your universe. I made sure that the ritual was performed correctly this time—it ought to sense the imbalance, and thus will try to send me back to my original plane of existence, but you’ll be coming with me.”  
   
Slowly another smile rose to his lips, but it seemed different than his usual ones.  
   
“Besides, even if it did come to that, you wouldn’t have to worry about suffering. I would make sure that both of us went peacefully. Together.”  
   
 It was as if I could actually feel my heart stop dead in my chest. If it didn’t go as planned, he would kill both of us?!  
   
“I-I don’t think we should do this.” My voice shook.  
   
 What was he thinking? He was basing his whole plan on the mere possibility that it would work, even though there was the very real threat of it failing, which means that he would kill us.  
   
 In this moment, I think it finally occurred to me how insane Yukio really was. I had known it as a fact, had even witnessed it, but my mind wasn’t really acknowledging it. Like I was trying to pass it off as just a figment of my subconscious. But these words finally broke through my barrier of denial. Yukio really was crazy. So crazy that he was a danger to himself, and to me.  
   
Which meant, I really did have to try everything I could to get away from this psycho.  
   
“Oh (Y/N)-chan, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I told you, this is almost guaranteed to work, and I know you’ll love it when we’re on the other side.”  
   
 My eyes quickly darted back and forth about the room, trying to think of a plan, or find an object to help me. Anything.  
   
“…What about Rin?” I asked finally, hoping to buy myself more time. This room was pretty much just like the one I was staying in. Empty, save for the big sea of demons in the floor and a chair against the wall to my left. Could I really use a chair as a defense?  
   
 Perhaps if I made him let his guard down, and then threw the chair at him and ran away…  
   
It wasn’t much of a plan, and sounded pretty dumb, even in theory, but it was all I had.  
   
 “Rin? Why are you worried about him?” He asked, a bit confused, but he didn’t sound angry.  
   
 “He’s still at the mansion; with those injuries, he won’t be getting up for at least another few days.  He’ll be fine. I’m not sure how he’ll live in this world, but I’m sure he’ll find something.” Yukio said casually, totally unconcerned.  
   
 While he was talking, I was slowly inching towards the small wooden chair against the wall, praying he wouldn’t notice. The blue light coming from the portal was bright, but it wasn’t so bright that you could see everything in the room clearly.  
   
 “Now, I’ll answer anything you want, but we’re going to have to do this later. The portal only lasts for so long, you know.”  
   
 I carefully grabbed a chair leg while facing Yukio, who was languidly walking to me. Tightening my grip, I waited for the best opportunity. He was a couple feet from me now, just a few more steps…  
   
 He was one step away from me when I used all the strength that I had to swing the chair at him—  
   
“Hurgh..!” I was cut short, as I felt a sharp, stinging feeling in my neck.  
   
“W…Whh...aat?” My lips moved slowly, having difficulty forming the words. The chair was now on the ground, and Yukio was hovering over me, a somber look on his face. And then I noticed him pulling something back, something that looked like… a syringe…?  
   
 Everything in the room was spinning around at a lazy pace, blurred and unfocused, and I think my vision was going dark. I heard Yukio mumbled something to me...  
  
 _“I’m sorry, (Y/N)… But I can’t do this without you.”_  
   
And then there was nothing else.  
 

***

 

   
When I next regained consciousness, I felt movement. Blearily opening my eyes, I discovered my face was pressed against a window, and the view outside, was…  
   
 I couldn’t believe it. Before, I knew there was this sense that I was forgetting something, and even when I was reminded, I still couldn’t remember. But now…  
   
 In the distance, there was a large structure that towered over every other building. That structure, in all of its real glory, was True Cross Academy. I remembered now. I remembered everything…  
   
 I remembered the masterpiece that was the show Blue Exorcist. And I remembered Yukio Okumura, the youngest full-fledged Exorcist and aspiring doctor. I could recall how different he acted in the show, and how he seemed so happy. How could it have all gone so horribly wrong…?  
   
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turning around, I saw Yukio with a knowing look.  
   
“You remember now, don’t you…?” He seemed almost sad, and just looking at him made me so incredibly sorrowful.  
   
 I burst into tears.  
   
And, as always, Yukio carefully wrapped me in his arms, bringing me towards his warm body. He held me snugly against his chest, and began tenderly stroking my hair.  
   
“It’s alright. It wasn’t your fault—it was never your fault. This was just something that happened that couldn’t be controlled. Besides, you’re here now, right? That’s all I need. Really, I’m very happy right now.”  
   
 He pressed a kiss to my neck, gently rocking me with him, as the car headed in the direction of the prestigious school.  
   
 _“All I need is you. I’m sorry if what I desire seems selfish, but my intentions really were innocent.”_  
   
 _“…At least, they were in the beginning.”_

  
~ _Fin~_  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that there will be an Epilogue posted after this chapter. Thank you to everyone who has made it this far, even if most of you didn't leave any comments, I'm just glad this was even being read at all. So really, thank you.


	21. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last sneak peek into the fate of the Reader. I really would like to thank everyone again for reading; it's been cool. May I see you in the fanfics to come~

 

  Months had passed.  
  
 Living in a whole new universe, full of demons and danger, it was one of the many reasons I wasn't allowed to go outside. Or so Yukio told me.  
  
 In reality, though, I knew it wasn't just to keep me safe. He locked me in his old dorm room on True Cross Academy grounds in order to keep me to himself; to be certain that no one would find out about me. Which was fine, I suppose.  
  
 It wasn't as if I had the power to change it, or anything for that matter.  
  
 Yukio always made sure that I couldn't possibly endanger myself while he was away teaching aspiring exorcists, hiding all of the dangerous items, even going as far as installing thick, soft padding on all the walls so I wouldn't be able to give myself head-trauma. The door was padded as well, and very heavy, so there was no forcing it open.  
  
 When I wasn't reflecting on how miserable I was or wondering when Yukio would come back for the evening, I was curious.  
  
 How had Yukio even gotten his job back as an exorcist? Weren't they suspicious that he had killed Shiemi? Or was it all a lie...?  
  
 I've tried asking him once, but he just smiled, pet my head and said, "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I now have a steady income to feed you with."  
  
 Meaning he probably didn't want me to know.  
  
 The door creaked open revealing a panting Yukio, his dark hair disheveled and glasses out of place. I knew what had happened before he had even opened his mouth.  
  
 "Girls..." He wheezed out, shutting the door and dropping onto the bed with me.  
  
 My gaze turned to him with tired eyes. It wasn't just my eyes though, my whole body was tired. I was too tired, even though all I ever did anymore was sleep all day.  
  
 He turned to me with a closed-eyed grin, "It's too bad I can't work up the nerve to tell them that you're the only one there is for me."  
  
 I wanted to be able to return his happiness with my own, but I couldn't.  
  
 How could I, after all that he did?  
  
 "...Yeah..."  
  
 There wasn't anything else I could think of to say.  
  
 He sighed as he realized I was too tired to talk anymore, before leaning in and slipping a kiss on my forehead.  
  
 "It's clear that you're going to need to get some exercise soon... though I'm a bit reluctant to bring you outside what with Mephisto and Amaimon about; I do realize this isn't very healthy."  
  
 He stood up, made his way towards the door before softly stating, "I'm going to make us something to eat. I'll try to be quick, I promise." Then he was gone.  
  
 Which left me to my thoughts.  
  
 Yukio obviously cared about me, that much was for sure, but he was too obsessed.  
  
 Leading to my imprisonment, and living in a world different than my own.  
  
 I didn't want to live anymore, but it was impossible for me to kill myself. Yukio had thought of every possibility, and had proceeded to put up countermeasures in which to ensure none of them would ever come true. Like it, hate it, it did not matter.  
  
 I was stuck, and there was nothing and no one to save me. I would never see my family again. I would never be able to make any friends.  
  
 The old Yukio I knew and loved was but a mere fantasy; I have had enough time to realize that. The real one had already taken the place of the illusion, and now he would always have it his way.  
  
 His _selfish_ way.  
  
 Yukio came back minutes later, and the look in my eyes conveyed the very message I was too afraid to say aloud. The sight was enough to make him weep in despair.

  _Yuki..._

 ...  
  
_P  l  e  a  s  e . . .   L  e  t    m  e   d  i  e . . ._


End file.
